Angel With A Shotgun
by Kikyoremura
Summary: In an apocalyptic world where the Hinata's and friends have never encountered the Keroro Platoon, but rather, something close to them. Follow the group of older teens leading survivors to safety as they encounter the supernatural that may or may not be, the lovable frogs we all know.
1. Angels Don't Exist

**Angels Don't Exist**

**Here's one of the new stories where some of the characters will have different names throughout and have a little different character development than normal with my usual Sgt Frog fanfics. Some characters will of course remain the same (cough) Natsumi (cough) because of their situations and other will take their time to get to their normal characters. They are also older here than in the anime by a couple years. So with that, I hope you enjoy. (The names of the platoon will not be given yet until they start to come in, so for now, it's just the humans)**

**Codenames:**

**Natsumi: Summer Fuyuki: Winter Momoka: Peach Saburo: 623 Koyuki: Snow Aki: Autumn Paul: Hastings**

Winter: Journal Entry #25

April 8th, 2014

Autumn has left us. Spring is here.

things have gotten worse. we are running out of supplies for the sick and

we are running out of food. summer and snow are out on their run, its

been three days. there's been no word. peach and i are trying to help

the remaining survivors while 623 tries to contact other groups.

No luck yet.

summer has instructed that we don't move until she comes back. she has

one day left before we start vacating and start moving underground.

iv'e prepared her a note in case she does come back with instructions that

only me and her know.

i hope she comes back soon…

"Um, Winter-kun, there's a problem downstairs" the blue haired girl, Peach, announced from the doorway. She was only slightly peaking in his room, knowing that he didn't like it when strangers would just enter without permission.

He stopped writing in his journal and closed it, placing his pencil in-between the pages to mark his progress. Turning to face the girl, he gave her a smile, wondering why she wasn't coming inside.

"Peach-san, you know you're allowed in here, why are you standing out there?" he asked nicely, knowing that she was very shy. He stood up and walked to the door, shutting it behind him as he joined her. Still smiling at her, the girl turned away, clearly embarrassed as her flushing cheeks gave her away.

"Come on, let's go deal with that problem, alright?" he spoke up, still smiling. She nodded and tried not to be so shy around him, she shouldn't have to be even if he was her true love. Especially since they have been engaged for a year now. She's chased after his heart for years prior and wasn't as shy like she is now, it was too good to be true she'd tell herself. And now they were in apocalyptic times. Their wedding had to be postponed and it's been hard to get any alone time with him. The thought of being alone with Winter always made her flush bright red, which always made him laugh. He thought it was cute.

"Peach-san? Are you alright? You look like you just dozed off" Winter replied, chuckling to himself.

"U-uh sorry! I was just thinking and um.." she stammered, cheeks flushing once more, making him laugh louder. She quickly hid her face in her hands, making him stop and kiss her cheek.

"Come on, after we deal with this, we can finally get some time to ourselves, alright?"

"Sure, I'd love that" she replied, smiling back at her fiancé. When she opened the door, the small commotion behind it began to fade as all eyes were on them now. A dark tanned man in a trench coat glared at her, causing her to flinch and hide behind Winter. Taking notice, he already could tell that he would not like this man.

"What seems to be the problem. Who are you?" Winter asked.

"None of your business pip squeak! I'm here to see whoever is in charge!" he growled.

"Summer is currently not here, so you can talk to me."

"Oh can I now? Lucky me. Listen here punk, I want you and your troupe to move out of here right this second! This is my home!" he shouted, stepping closer to Winter.

Winter on the other hand remained calm and unfazed by the man, he'd dealt with worse before. "We aren't scheduled to leave until after tomorrow I'm afraid, until then, you're more than welcome to stay with-"

"I don't think you get it! This was my home before all this shit happened and I want you to get out!" he seethed, pulling up his sleeves to reveal some muscle. He wasn't very masculine, but he was bigger than Winter. Though, that didn't faze him at all.

"Need my help, Winter-kun?" 623 asked, leaning against the doorway. The silver haired boy was slightly older than Winter and though he wasn't much muscular than him, he's taken on some strong men previously when fighting with the troupe to get here, so this guy was nothing in his eyes.

"Is this your idiot leader?" he called out angrily.

"Sorry, but I'm just their tech guy. Though if Summer was here, I wouldn't suggest fighting her, she's no push over" 623 joked, cracking a smile and pushing aside some of his hair that went on to his face.

"Your leader is a girl? Ha! This is too easy! Quit making me laugh kids, and get the hell out of my house!" the man shouted, not ready to take any more distractions. He wants this house badly and isn't ready to reason with anyone.

"Winter?" 623 called out, looking for permission. With a nod of approval, the silver haired boy stood up straight and walked towards the angry man.

Winter quickly turned around and held Peach so she wouldn't have to see a sad sight.

"Come on, why don't you go wait upstairs for me, I'll come up when we're done" he whispered to her.

"I'm fine, really, Winter-kun. I would like to stay down here with you, if that's okay" she replied, clinging to him, enjoying his warmth.

He knew that he couldn't argue with her, behind that shy girl exterior was a stubborn and powerful woman that would go to any lengths to get what she wanted. With a sigh, he let her stay. "How do I let you convince me so easily?" he asked, already knowing his answer in the back of his mind.

She just smiled and shrugged, clinging back to him and nuzzling his chest.

"623, how are you holding up?" Winter called.

"Well, we're gonna need more rope if we're gonna keep getting guests like him, but he's detained" the silver haired boy replied with a wink. He was seated on top of the man whose legs and arms were tied together to keep him immobile.

Winter walked over to the angry man and kneeled down in front of him, lifting his chin up so that he could see his eyes. "Now then, you either work with our terms, we lock you up, or we take some more inhumane options. Your pick."

"Peh! You kids don't scare me! None of these people do!" he spat at the ground, just an inch away from Winter's shoe when he replied.

Fuyuki's smile was long gone now, replaced with a stoic frown. Looking down on the man, he gave the signal to 623 to help him drag the man downstairs where no one would see them. When he tried to put up a fight, Winter pinched down on a nerve, causing the man to go unconscious, making the trip easier on the two.

"Where did this joker come from?" Winter asked calmly.

"Saw him off in the distance, seems to be a heavy drunkard by the smell of him. Most of the people that come in here end up being drunkards, drinking away the apocalypse" 623 replied. He holstered the man over his shoulders as Winter opened a gated room where they'd leave the man and lock him in for the time being. They didn't have time to deal with the likes of him, not when they had to pack and watch out for Snow and Summer.

"Alright, we'll come visit him later tonight when he's awake and hopefully sober."

"Gotcha, Winter-kun. For now, you should go with Peach, she's been pretty lonely lately since Summer and Snow left."

"Yeah, thanks, I'll go do that. You gonna keep watch for now?"

"Might as well, the radios aren't wanting to work for me so I need to get away from them for a bit" 623 replied, arms folded behind his head as the two scaled their way back upstairs.

"Take as much time as you need, we all need to be rested up for the move. Oh, and if Summer or Snow make it back, please come get me, but, knock first" Winter replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Hehe, hey no I know the rules, privacy is privacy my friend. Well, I'm gonna go take my post, you head up, we'll see each other later anyways" the older boy replied chuckling, walking away to climb a ladder up to the attic to be a look out.

Winter brushed his blush away, replacing it with a hopeful smile. He went back upstairs. Peach was waiting patiently outside his door, unable to bring herself to just walk in, even when he wasn't in there.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Winter began speaking from behind her, placing his hands on her sides and hugging her from behind, "My room is your room, so you don't have to wait for me."

"I'm still trying to get used to it" she replied, flustered and surprised. She wasn't expecting him to hug her like that or sneak up on her. She watched him open the door and lead her in, closing it behind them.

"So, here we are. Finally alone together" he replied, smiling at her lovingly.

Her cheeks flushed lightly, reflecting back a loving smile to him. This was their space and she knew that, she knew that what was his was hers and what was hers is his. The shyness and embarrassment slowly began disappearing, daring herself to plop down on his bed and sit. A small yawn slipped through her lips as she sat down on the plush mattress.

"My princess tired?" he asked lovingly, taking a seat next to her.

She couldn't help but nod. She hadn't gotten any sleep the past two days since she's been taking care of the sick and weak people they decided to save along the way. Winter helped lay her down gently on his bed, laying right behind her and pulling her close. The blushes had come back for both of them as they've only done this one other time and Summer had walked in, embarrassing them in an instant. But she wasn't here now, and everyone else knew to knock before entering his room. That's exactly why he implemented the rule anyways. It was to get his privacy and save him and his love the awkwardness with everyone. They just wanted to sleep together once in a while, and right now, no one would disrupt them for once.

Winter nuzzled his face into the crook of Peach's neck, kissing it gently and closing his eyes, happy that they could finally get some rest. In response, Peach curled up into him, holding his hand gently, letting herself drift into a peaceful slumber. In a matter of minutes, the couple fell asleep in each other's embrace.

Meanwhile, downstairs, 623 had crawled back down from his post. He went to the door and unlocked it, letting in a tall man with grey hair and a pointed mustache.

"Hey Hastings, hows the area look?"

"Pretty quiet. And here?"

"We had a drunkard wander in, someone forgot to lock the doors. He's downstairs right now. Other than that, nothing."

"No sign from Summer or Snow yet I take it?" Hastings asked, taking a seat and unwinding a little.

623 joined him and sighed, "I was hoping you'd have something on that."

"Tis a shame, but I'm sure they'll be here soon. Oh, and my mistress, Peach? Is she well?"

"Yeah, I just sent her and her hubby upstairs to get some rest. Haven't heard a sound as of three minutes ago so I assume they've passed out by now" 623 chuckled.

"I see. That's good to hear. I take it you're on surveillance?"

"Yeah, nothing else to do. Radios are being problematic and no ones complaining yet" 623 joked.

Hasting's chuckled lightly, followed by a short, yet rough cough. 623 sat up, patting the man on his back and retrieving a small glass of water.

"Hey, none of that, here, drink some water."

"Thank you 623," Hastings replied gratefully, taking the drink and downing it, "I had hoped that incisive cough had gone away weeks ago."

"You and all of us here man, look, why don't you go get some rest too. I can take care of it here. Maybe it'll help."

"Thank you, but you know the rules my friend, two at a time. Even if Summer isn't here, we should uphold her rules" the old man replied, lending a faint smile.

623 Patted the old man on his back and returned the smile, "If you're sure, it's good to have some company."

"Likewise" the old man replied. He stood up from his comfortable position and took the post on the leveled floor while 623 returned up the ladder. Though they were apart by the stories, they could still see each other through the large hole in the ceiling. That was the only way of communicating between the two positions, but they didn't mind.

"So what did you see around the area?" 623 called down.

"Nothing new from the last run. Wait, no. Actually there was something new."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Hasting's replied, trying to recollect exactly what he saw, "fresh graffiti, on the southern end. Maybe a day, day and a half old."

"What did this one say?" 623 asked curiously.

"There were two, one said 'They're coming,' and the other one, rather hilarious in fact, 'Angels Don't Exist," Hastings replied, chuckling.

"Hell we could of told them that. What a waste of perfectly good paint! Can you believe these apocalyptic survivors? Tch, tch, tch, no sense of urgency" 623 joked, catching himself laughing louder than usual. It's rare to find anyone actually laughing during these times, but they somehow found ways. It's the only way they hadn't lost their spirits yet.

"Ho ho, quite amusing indeed. Though I am wondering if the first one was written towards angels or something else."

"Curiosity killed the cat, old man" the boy replied, wagging his finger at Hastings.

"I'm not that old, I'll have you know. I could still take you out in a matter of seconds my friend" Hastings replied, ready to take on any challenge.

"Hehe, I know you could. I'd be up for a sparring partner if we didn't have to do this right now."

"Perhaps later when the Mrs. and Winter wake up" Hastings offered, eagerly awaiting for some action in their boring daily routines.

"Later for sure-hey! Look outside! What's coming towards us?" 623 shouted down, taking his binoculars and scanning the area far away from him.

Hastings took his and scanned the area, seeing black masses in the distance limping quickly towards their shelter. "Think we could trick them? Turn off all the lights so they don't come in?" Hastings asked, still eying the approaching figures.

"I dunno, these guys look a lot different than what we're used to, might not be as dumb. Keep an eye on them, I'm gonna try to see if I can lure them away" the silver haired boy replied, taking a sniper and mounting it through the window, taking aim carefully at the closest gas can he could find. Luckily, there were many where they were stationed, but he had to make sure he didn't nick one that could lead the explosions back to them.

"623, they seem to be distracted by something else to the left. I can't see what it is though, can you?" Hastings asked, straining to find a position where he could see.

Taking his sniper, he zoomed in as far as he could to see two figures darting back and forth, attracting the creatures. As the sniper focused, he could see two feminine figures, one pink haired and the other blackish green. In his excited stupor he shouted out, "It's Summer and Snow! They're distracting the creatures right now. If you can, grab the other sniper and help me take them out to help the girls out" 623 shouted, taking careful shots one by one at the skulls of the creatures that got too close to the girls.

The two females figured out that they had support from their base when multiple enemies began falling over and having their heads explode in front of them. They made sure to be cautious when moving. In any second they could intercept a sniper shot that was intended for the creeps behind them.

"Summer! Jump up here!" Snow called down to her with her arm extended from the top of a fairly tall building.

The pink haired warrior increased her speed, ran up the side of the building and gained enough momentum to jump to where Snow could grab her hand and pull her up.

"Phew, thanks Snow"

"Anytime, Summer!" the dark haired girl replied with a cat like grin. Both females began running and jumping from one building to another, getting farther from the creatures and getting closer to base. They could hear the gunshots subside from behind them, informing them that they were clear of enemies. In some cases it would mean that a multitude of them had been eliminated and the stragglers would be taken care of hands on.

Summer and Snow jumped through the opening in the roof where 623 awaited, eager to greet them both.

"You two had us worried, you know?" he replied, hugging both of them individually. He set aside his sniper and followed them down bellow.

"Nothing to worry about, we decided to explore the outer zone of the city this time" Summer replied, removing her gas mask.

"Supplies were drastically becoming harder to find in the normal zones. Good thing we went too" Snow added on, removing her mask as well.

"Find something useful?" Hastings inquired as he approached them.

Snow nodded happily. Taking off the three bags she had holstered on her back, Snow peered into the smallest one and pulled out bottles and tiny jars of medication.

"There's more to it than just the medication," Summer added, "Food a plenty, hygienic supplies, fresh towels, a couple of tools, and much more. I anticipate that we'll want to move out toward the outer zone now and establish a base there."

"You just got here, how about you two get some rest and when everyone's ready, we'll talk about moving" 623 replied with worry. One look at Summer and he could see the grey shades under her eyes, the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes from exhaustion, the red in her eyes, and the multitude of cuts and bruises that lay untreated became worse.

"That might be a good idea Summer-san" Snow replied, noticing her friend's condition and her own as well. She couldn't remember the last time either of them ate or slept since they left.

With a tired sigh, their fearless leader nodded, plopping herself on the ragged couch. Relieved, 623 and Hastings took the bags they filled with supplies and began sorting them out. Snow went to tend to their people first, making sure that they were still alright and not too frazzled by the gun fire before resting.

"Oh yeah, I need to go get Winter, tell him you two made it back" 623 mentioned out loud.

"If he's sleeping don't bother him, he'll find out when he wakes up" Summer replied, slouching on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable piece of furniture, but anything would sound comfortable right now to her aching shoulders and legs.

"As a direct order from you, I'll leave it at that then" he replied, letting a faint smile set itself on his face. He was usually smiling more than anyone, even more so when Summer was around. He didn't realize it, but everyone else did. He just shrugged it off as just being himself, unable to admit that maybe he felt something different toward her other than being a subordinate or a friend. But he knew that even if he could admit it, she wouldn't pay mind to it. A year ago she probably would have loved the idea, but now, because of the apocalypse, finding a soul mate was the last thing on her mind if it even ever did cross her mind. He was fine with how things were right now, he wouldn't push her. He'd just smile.

If anyone there believed in a God anymore, they might have prayed for what they wanted most. Whether it be salvation, protection, health, or even love. But they were convinced that God didn't exist. They know now that angels don't exist.


	2. Moving Day

**Moving Day**

Winter woke up, feeling more at peace than ever before. When he opened his eyes, he could see a mess of blue hair against his chest. The love of his life was still snoozing away, still in his arms. He couldn't help but smile as he stared at her, gently combing through her hair. A faint smile crept onto her face when his fingers brushed through. He didn't want to get up at that point. He didn't want to ruin the peaceful moment, a moment that he didn't know if he'd get again. He checked his window, looking for any new indication of time. The sky was darker now than it was when he passed out, so he assumed a couple of hours, maybe 3-4 had gone by.

He knew he had to get up now, it was only fair to 623 since he'd been on duty the entire time. Slowly, he managed to get up without waking his princess. After he stretched his muscles out, he crept outside the room and went downstairs. He was surprised to find the new arrivals.

"Summer!" he called out, excited to see his big sister.

"Hey there Winter, sleep well?" she asked nonchalantly from the couch. She hadn't moved much since she got back. Half an hour ago she had awoken from a very short nap.

"When did you get back? Where's Snow?" he asked, piling questions one after the next.

"Ok first, Snow is here so don't worry. Second, we got back a couple hours ago. Third, don't be mad at 623, I told him to wait till you woke up."

Winter looked over at 623 who gave him a little wave and smile in return. "Direct orders, gotta follow them."

"Can't anything be just normal with you other than just orders, Summer?" he asked her jokingly. A yawn caught itself in his throat and pushed to be free.

"I can't help it that telling someone to do something ends up being orders. Anyways, we need to have a meeting soon. Is Peach still sleeping?"

"Yeah, would you like me to wake her up?"

"It's alright for now. When Snow and Hastings come back shortly then you can" she replied, finally getting up from the couch and stretching.

"Where did they go off to?" Winter prodded, pouring himself a glass of water from a nearby canteen.

"Infirmary duty. We managed to scrounge up a hefty supply of mediation. There's plenty more where we found it too. Considering moving out there and establishing a new base until supplies run out. The usual."

"Sounds promising. Judging by those cuts and bruises though, I don't think our group is stable enough to make it."

Summer shrugged. She proceeded to pull a fresh, green apple from her bag. Rubbing it on one of the clean towels, she took a bite. She quickly spit it out, examining the apple.

"Figures…it's rotting inside. It's a miracle to find any fruit that isn't infected."

Winter handed her a glass of water and two pills to down right after.

"You should know by now to check before you bite. Now, take these. They'll clean out that infection."

Summer downed the two pills instantly, pausing to take a sip of water. Her eyes waned to the side of Winter where a groggy Peach stood.

"Good morning there sunshine, hope I didn't wake you" Summer replied.

"When did you get back, Summer? And Snow?" Peach asked, yawning.

"Apparently they've been back for a couple of hours, didn't want to wake us though. How considerate. Maybe you'll take into account the knocking first rule?" Winter joked.

"Should learn to lock your door" Summer replied, smirking.

623 walked in, sniper strapped over his shoulders. Snow and Hastings trailed behind him.

"The gangs all here, kind of rare these days" 623 joked, smiling at Summer.

She nodded, motioning for everyone to sit.

"I know we've gotten comfy here, but as we all know supplies have gotten rare here. Snow and I reckoned the Outer Zone and there's a plethoric amount of supplies there. If we move quickly, we can secure a base and collect as much as we can before another group shows up." Summer explained, taking another gulp of water.

"You forget we have people to transport there. Sick people might I ad" Winter interjected.

Summer looked unto Snow to further the conversation.

"That would be a problem, but as it seems there's an underground system not too far from here that leads straight to the Outer Zone subway." Snow finished, giving a grin.

"Wouldn't the underground be infested though?" Hastings added.

"It might be now since we lured some of them over, but it shouldn't be a problem for us. Snow, 623, and myself would patrol up ahead while Winter and Peach lead our people right behind. We'll clear the front for you. After we get out of the underground, we'll secure a base in an abandoned office building. It's boarded up from the outside except for a broken window on the fifth floor. We explored the inside as much as we could and it looks secure" Summer explained, drawn up a schematic on a crumpled piece of paper on the couch.

Their leader looked up from her drawing, awaiting any response from her team. Winter nodded.

"Seems like a plausible plan. When would you like us to announce it to our people?" Hastings asked.

"The sooner the better. If we can manage to pack what we need by morning, we'll be leaving rather soon then. Let them know and try to get as much rest as they can. Same goes for all of you. I'll take patrol till then" Summer responded, getting up from her spot to stretch.

She motioned over to 623, holding her hand out for his sniper. Taking it off from his shoulder, he handed it to her, pulling back lightly.

"It's two to a look out, I'm more than willing to stay up" he replied.

Summer shook her head, flicking his forehead.

"You're the only one from the looks of it that hasn't slept yet. If we're going to have a chance in the morning, I need you at your best. I'll be fine on my own."

"But-"

"That's an order" Summer replied roughly, glaring at him. The silver haired boy nodded, apologizing for being disobedient.

Without another outburst, everyone bid Summer good night, leaving her to herself. Winter returned shortly, peering through the doorway.

"What is it, Winter?"

"Just to let you know, we have someone locked up downstairs. He came in here raving like a drunkard. We'll have to deal with him before we leave."

"Alright, thank you for informing me. Now, go get your rest. I promise not to burst in and interrupt anything" Summer replied, smirking.

Winter felt his cheeks burn up in embarrassment. He turned away from his sister and walked back up to his room. Summer sighed. She strapped the sniper to her back and scaled up the ladder to the second story to take her post.

She stared at the night sky, noting how even now, without all the lights, the sky is blank. All the smoke from the fires were now clinging to the clouds, erasing the stars. Summer longed to see the stars again. She longed for the good old days where she would wake up in her room, staring out her balcon at the sunrise.

She missed going to school and seeing her friends. She missed being a normal girl, living a normal life, even if it was boring sometimes. She missed her mom and her out of place father. At least she still had her brother, who hasn't really changed. He's still the nerdy boy she knew, he's just more mature, more of a productive leader. She let a smile crawl onto her face.

Leaning back onto the rooftop, arms behind her head, she began humming softly to herself. A familiar tune from her childhood, Autumn's tune.

Hours passed them by. The morning sun rose over the wreckage of a once beautiful town. Summer watched the horizon, smiling. Everything was clear. The sky had hints of blue, a rare sight to see.

Winter scampered up to the roof, sitting next to his sister. Exchanging a good morning, he stared out at the view with her.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Summer asked.

"If we're not counting the destruction, then yeah, it is" Winter replied.

"Even then…seeing something so beautiful high light something horrible, that's amazing…" Summer found herself smiling like an idiot. She quickly changed the subject.

"How are we on moving?"

"We're getting last minute things packed. Our group is all ready after that. 623 and I have also brought our little drunkard up, though he's still tied up for safety precautions. Honestly, we're just waiting for your signal at this point. You should come downstairs and eat as well, you must be starving" Winter announced, patting his sister's shoulder before climbing down the ladder.

Taking one last glance of the view in front of her, Summer descended after her brother.

623 and Hastings were loading a couple of small, pull wagons with supplies when Summer had finally come down.

"Good morning, Summer" 623 politely told her.

"Good morning 623, Hastings. You look well rested for once."

"It's a wonder what a couple hours of sleep can do" Hastings replied.

Nodding, Summer examined the room, eying a tied up man on the couch. She walked over to him. He watched her, glaring as she came closer.

"So, you're the bird that flew in here."

"So, you're the bitch that's running this bullshit" he spat.

623 and Hastings eyed them cautiously, knowing how severe Summer's temper could be. They hardly ever brought up problems like this to her since they could take care of it. When it came to Summer, she let these 'problems' know exactly why she was the leader.

A loud smack echoed the room and into the hall. 623 flinched, pretending to cover his cheek, mouthing the words 'ow.'

The drunkard growled, biting back the sting of Summer's punch on his face. His eyes flared back at her scowl.

She leaned down next to his ear and whispered, "Don't ever call me that. I'll personally make sure that your blood is used fresh making paint."

With that, she walked way from the idiotic man. Hastings and 623 looked over to him, shaking their heads.

"Should of just shut your yap, man. Would have made your freedom a lot easier" 623 explained.

"Blow it out your ass…" the man barked back, retreating his voice.

Snow wandered in, questioningly staring at the tied up man. Hastings stood in front of her to wade her attention.

"Do you need something Miss Snow?"

"Oh, Summer wanted me to tell you that we're ready. We're waiting outside" she announced, smiling sweetly.

"And about him?" 623 motioned to the annoying man on the couch.

Keeping her smile, she replied, "Summer would prefer to leave him as is, but she won't think anything bad of you if you decide to free him."

With that, she left. Leaving the two men to deal with their 'friend.'

Hastings and 623 looked at each other, strapped on their bags, and began pulling out the wagons, leaving the man to fend for himself.

"H-hey! Come back! You can't just leave me like this!" he shouted angrily.

623 poked his head back into the room one last time, "Blow it out your ass."

**This is basically my pilot for this story. I was originally going to write the whole thing out and just mass post it, but I like critiques along the way so posting a full story defeats the purpose :) Want to see me? Please ****tell**** me~ **


	3. Trials of the Trails

Winter: Journal Entry #24

March 20th, 2014

Autumn, I fear, won't be coming this time.

the weather has changed. it's no longer freezing. we're thankful.

Summer is hardly seen anymore. she tends to the sick. And disappears in

the Night. I don't know what to do right now. I'm trying. I'm really

trying.

I'm also their leader. But i'm still just a kid inside. I don't have all the

answers. i don't know what to do. i'm just one person.

I'm terrified…

—

The trek to the Outer Ring proved tedious. With Summer, Snow, and 623 leading the group, Hastings, Winter, and Peach leading their people, and of course, their people, the trip would take time. Time that they didn't have.

"Winter, how many times do you think we'll have to move?" Peach whispered.

"I'd be lying if I said this would be the last time" he sighed.

"That's what I thought…Do you think we'll ever find someplace permanent?"

He gently slid his hand to hers and intertwined their fingers. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss.

"I hope for that day, everyday."

"W-Winter!" Peach exclaimed under her breathe.

Winking, he offered a playful smile and a gentle nudge to his fiancé. "Don't worry, I promise you, we'll settle down somewhere soon."

"So, Summer…would you rather, fight 5 of those infected creeps alone with your fists only, or, eat nothing but month old expired foods for a week?" 623 asked, continuing their silent game of _Would You Rather._

_"_Fight the infected. I'd have a better chance of surviving with them" Summer replied, shaking her head at the thought of eating rotten foods any long than she had to.

"Oh! I have one! 623, would you rather only have your sniper to defend you, or a hoard of puppies?" Snow asked excitedly.

"Uh, I'd have to go with the hoard of puppies there Snow" he replied.

"Aww, but then you're risking their lives for yours. Could you live with yourself then?" the cat-like girl asked sadly.

"I…didn't think of it that way. Well, I'd still choose them, but I'd do everything I could to keep them safe. They'd be great company so it would be a shame to lose any of them."

"That sounds nice! I'm glad!" Snow responded cheerfully.

"Would you rather keep everyone out of harms way or alert attention to us by being loud?" Summer asked, taking a cautious stance.

"Hmm, well I wouldn't want to get anyone hurt —" Snow was stopped by 623's hand over her mouth. His eyes motioned for her to look ahead where a group of survivors were gathered.

Summer motioned for everyone behind them to stop and take cover. Dealing with infected monsters was one thing, but survivors always wound up being worse. They could never trust their intentions, no matter how sweet they appeared outwardly. And this group was no exception. Summer sneaked through behind fallen rubble and asphalt. She listened carefully to the conversation ahead, making sure to not making any noise.

"That's the last of these monsters…fuck, why were they even here int eh first place?!"

"Sounded like they were chasing someone. Heard gunshots last night. Whoever they were, probably didn't make it. Who knows, maybe this disgusting heap was them" the unidentified person said as they kicked the dead body of an infected.

"Well fuck them for bringing this many of them here. Can't go out and get any supplies with how many are here. Stupid person…"

"Hey guys! We couldn't find shit. The place is flat empty. Almost every place we've checked has been ransacked!"

"Are you serious? Who even knows about this town? I was really relying on this one…"

"Well hey, we'll just have to jump the next group we see for their supplies. Survival of the fittest and all."

"And what if they're the fittest? What's your brilliant plan then?"

"Won't need one. After all, we're pretty heavily equipped. Not many people out in this area would have guns and weapons. So, we see a group, we shoot from the distance, and we take their shit. Easy peasy."

Summer glared at the group from her hiding spot. She thought to herself on how to get out of this situation…

_We could all try sneaking past, but I don't think the civilians could all manage without being found….I could distract them, but judging by these guys, I'd get shot on the spot. Hmm, I don't really want to attack, but if it comes down to it…_

"Hey guys, looks like we've got a mouse hiding back here!"

Summer turned around in surprise. She found herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun with a annoyed woman clutching close to the trigger.

623 and Snow went low, preparing to attack when needed. Though they couldn't be too careless, after all, Summer's life was on the line.

"Well, well, well, got a cute thing over here. And would you look at that, she's got some supplies! A gas mask even!"

"How'd someone like you manage to get your hands on that stuff girly?"

"It doesn't matter how, let's just take it already. We just agreed we'd kill and take anyone we saw."

The woman with the gun pointed to Summer became more heated, pushing the gun closer to Summer's throat.

"Decide what to do with her before I decide for us you idiots" the woman growled.

Summer was never a good actor in school, yet acting came almost too naturally in these situations.

"P-please…I'm trying to find my grandfather…we got separated…I'm all he's got left…" Summer pleaded, forcing some tears to well up in her eyes.

"Like I give a rats ass. It's kill or be killed out here sweet heart."

"Couldn't we just let her go? I mean, I'm all for taking half of her stuff, but come on. We're all trying to survive after all."

"Or she's telling lies. We women tend to do that in times like these" the shotgun lady growled.

"Please! He's all alone out there! I need to go find him!" Summer pleaded.

"I dunno….she sounds like she's telling the truth…"

"Bullshit. Either way I don't care. Shoot her and take her shit already."

From behind the lines, 623 and Snow could hear it all. They signaled Hasting's to come forward and put an act up for them all. 623 got his sniper at the ready while Snow prepared her knives for some close combat.

"Oh dear! I found you!" Hastings shouted as he ran up toward the group.

Guns pointed at the old man, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Grandpa!" Summer improved, thankful that her on the spot plan was working out.

"Shit, guess she wasn't lying after all."

"We can shoot both of them now. Big whoop. I'm getting sick of this. We said we'd take the next group's shit, so let's do it!"

"Technically speaking they aren't a group…a small group is at least 3 people."

"I don't care about technicalities. I just want to live another day. Now either you shoot him, or I'll shoot both of them. Either way, someone's dying."

"I'm with him. It's just two more people, if they're all they've got, who's going to miss them?"

"Fuck it, sorry you two. I wish it wasn't like this."

As the guns were drawn up, Summer and Hasting's passed one final glance, a signal to fight.

Summer slid under the shot gun women's legs and elbowed her in the neck. Snow jumped in, slicing guns with her shark knives. 623 began taking head shots on the most lethal of the group members, ensuring the more dangerous ones were out of the way. Hasting's remained standing still in front of the one regretful member, who, by now, was in absolute shock. Blood was splattered on his right side from his fallen allies. His eyes had gone wide, gun pointed to the ground.

"I'm sorry. It didn't have to be this way. We just wanted to go through. But your friends here gave us no choice" Hasting's explained with little remorse.

The lone standing guy could only tremble in shock. He stared at Hastings, then back to Summer, only moving his eyes and never his body.

"I…you…you killed them…I…" the young man trembled, unable to speak.

"Listen, you can come with us. I am very sorry this is how it turned out, but we have some great people with us and we couldn't let anything happen to them" Snow replied, trying to console him. She offered her hand to him, but he just stared at it in fear.

"Snow, if he's not going to come along, so be it. But we've got to go. We've made too much noise as it is" Summer called out, looting the bodies of the dead group.

"You…how can you….how can you just loot them like that?!" the boy shouted out.

"The same way they would have shot me in a second, whether I was telling the truth or not" she replied, jaded to his fear.

"How can you do this….to think…I wanted to let you go…."

"Listen kid, I appreciate you being the only sane one, but 4 against 1 wasn't in my favor. I'm not taking everything, just anything we don't already have. The rest is yours."

"How can you be so jaded?! How is this not bothering you?!" he shouted. Snow tried to calm him down, but he pushed her aside. The rest of the group just watched, sullen for what they had to do.

"It happens. The world isn't exactly a happy place right now kid" Summer retorted.

"You're a monster!"

"People are monsters, get over it."

"You…you bitch! You crude bitch! Do you realize what you've done?! You just took away everything I had! You killed my best friend! How can you just stand there and not care?! Do you realize how—"

"What?! Do I realize what?! That I'm jaded to your emotional plea because I've seen it all? Do I realize that I just put you in the same situation I've been in?! You think you're the only one that's watched people close to you get gunned down?! Congrats! You're the special chosen one! The tragic hero of this journey! So please, go on telling me how I'm the monster here! Go on yelling at me when your friends wanted to shoot me and my friend without a single remorseful thought! You think this is fucked up? Wait till you get as fucked up as me. You think I don't care? You ever wonder why some people out there are so jaded to trauma that any inkling of death doesn't scare them anymore? Because when you see it so much, you just start to stop feeling! So get fucking used to it." Summer ranted. Her voice was coarse, and ger face had grown red behind the mask. When she was done, she grabbed her bags, the shot gun at her feet, and started heading forward.

The group fell silent. Snow watched her best friend walk away before turning to the boy one last time. Her face read that she was sorry for him. With one last look, she took off after Summer. The civilians traveling with the group began walking up. Winter had Peach and Hastings take them forward as he and 623 stayed behind with the boy.

"The offer still stands. I know it'll be hard, but if you want to come with us, you're more than welcome to" Winter told him, offering his hand.

The boy stared at him, unsure of what to do.

"They were the only family I had…" he muttered.

"I understand…we all do, really" Winter replied, trying to console him.

"You don't though! You didn't know them! So they had a bad moment! They didn't deserve to die for it!" he began shouting.

"Summer and Hastings didn't deserve to almost die at their hands either kid" 623 reminded.

"They were just scared!" the boy tried to reason.

"We do terrible things when we're scared. Some of us, like you, don't. They didn't deserve to die, no. But neither did my sister, nor Hastings. We had to protect them, just like your friends were protecting you" Winter consoled.

Tears dripped down the boy's face. He shut his eyes, refusing to look around once more at the blood and corpses.

"Come with us, we promise we'll take care of you" Winter offered again.

The boy slapped Winter's hand away and pointed his gun at the two. Taken aback, 623 pulled Winter behind him.

"Don't do this kid" 623 pleaded.

"Your sister will understand….what it feels like to lose her family!" the boy shouted.

"My sister watched as our mother and several family friends were gunned down."

"What?" the boy asked, taken by surprise.

"Our mother threw herself in front of a barrage of bullets to protect her. Everyone died there, except our mother. Summer brought her back to our camp, but we couldn't do anything to save her. Summer spent night and day taking care of her until the infection got her….Summer was the one to take her out…trust me, she understands better than you think. And if you take us out, she'll stop at nothing to find you…so please…put the gun down" Fuyuki pleaded, pulling 623 to the side so Winter can look at the boy.

The gun shook in the boy's hands. His eyes were determined, yet soft. He was conflicted. He heard a click behind him.

"Put it down."

"Summer, please" Fuyuki begged.

"The gun. Put it down. Last warning" Summer growled.

The boy dropped the gun without hesitation. He hung his head low and stared at the ground.

"Good. 623, Winter, we need to move. We can't lose daylight" Summer ordered, beginning to walk away.

The two guys looked at each other, then back to the boy. They slowly began walking past him, sullen with the choice.

"And if you're bringing the kid, make sure he keeps up" Summer called back.

Surprised, Winter looked back to the boy, who was just as surprised. Staring at each other for a few, silent moments, the boy nodded lightly and followed close behind.

Winter: Journal entry #22

March 10, 2014

Autumn has been infected.

Summer hasn't been the same since.

We'll be leaving home today. I Hope we can survive.

**Sorry it's been so long. Things. Anyway, there are a few questions, one in particular that's been pretty popular and all I can say is, just wait and find out. I promise, everything has an answer.**


	4. Sanctuary

**Sanctuary**

**So I decided to release the latest two chapters I've written from this. I wanted to write up a bunch and post them all, but I feel like I owe you all for being gone for so long. So enjoy these next two and possibly a third one later today or tomorrow if I decide to release it. **

"623!" Summer shouted through the pounding gunshots.

"Don't worry about me! Ugh…just clear them out!" the silver haired boy shouted back, clutching his bleeding leg with one hand, while the other struggled to aim his hand gun at the incoming enemies.

Hastings fought off the oncoming infected that were attempting to get to 623. He beat their heads in with a metal bat while trying not to get in the way of 623's gun fire.

"Summer! We need to get the people to safety!" Peach shouted from a closed off pathway, guarding the civilians with a wired bat.

"Trust me, we're trying!" Summer replied as she kicked back an infected and blew its head off. Her eyes caught the glare of light from above. A swift bullet came down from the sky and shot the ground which caused a massive dome of light to surround the group and the infected. When the light had faded, all the infected were lying dead on the ground. Summer, who had shielded her eyes, looked around to see all the corpses lying about her feet. Although the infected were all dead, everyone else was alright.

623 looked up from the ground and asked, "What in the fuck was that?

"It looked like a giant circle of light.." Peach replied as she stared up at the sky.

Summer stared up at the sky, confused. She knew she saw a bullet fly by, but she couldn't explain from where and why there was a giant orb of light surrounding them. She looked around her group of people and made the decision to ignore the phenomenon.

"Whatever it was, or whoever it was," she began, "they bought us some time. Hastings, pick up 623 and we'll try to find a place to rest soon and patch him up. We've been given a better chance at survival so let's not waste it."

"Summer is right. Let's get all the civilians through one more trek and then let's rest. 623, how are you holding up?" Winter asked.

"Stings, but it's nothing too bad. God damn pole came out of nowhere. Thankfully it was just the pole and not a bite" he replied.

"That is thankful" Summer replied grimly as she walked past them.

The remaining team stared at her sadly as she walked away. They all knew in that moment what went through her mind. They knew if 623 had been bitten, they'd have to end his existence before he turned on them. It was something they wouldn't want Summer to endure one more time.

"Let's hurry up everyone, while we've still got some sunlight left" Fuyuki ordered.

Hours passed and the sun had set. Summer had led her team and their trail of people into an abandoned building. With her, Snow, and Hastings, they boarded up unexplored areas in case of any infected or trespassers that might come and attack them throughout the night. They continued to scout the open areas for any supplies or weapons.

All the while, back at the main room where everyone has gathered safely, Peach, Winter, and 623 watched over. Peach was tending to 623's deep wound while Winter tested him just in case he might still be infected.

"My name is Mutsumi Saburo, codename 623. I'm 23 years old. I graduated from Kissho Academy a few years back. I skipped classes on a daily because they were pointless. I had a popular radio show at the time as well. Anything else?" 623 asked while Winter prodded him with questions.

"No, you seem to be good. But I will be checking on you again later just in case" Winter replied.

"I understand. So Peach, what's the damage?"

"It's deep, but it should heal. You'll just have to be very cautious how you step from now on. You should probably keep to your sniper" Peach replied as she wrapped gauze around his leg.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Peach. So…any idea how much longer until we find an actual base of operations that stays permanent?"

"I'm not sure…with the way this town has become, it might take weeks…maybe months" Winter replied. He scanned the room with all of the resting people they've helped save. He sighs. "Honestly…it would be easier without everyone to watch over…but I can't bring myself to abandon anyone" he whispered.

Peach looked around sadly, knowing it to be true. "But, we can't let them lose hope now. We're the only ones that have shown them any kind of mercy. Leaving them now…well, would we be any different than those that harmed them?" she whispered back.

623 and Winter scanned the room sadly and nodded in reply. They knew well enough that everyone they recruited and rescued had a story to tell of their misfortunes. Especially their new recruit.

The group sighed and took this time to relax for a moment. They've been through a lot in the past year. They've lost people, lost family members. They've gained people and they have gained memories both good and bad. Mostly bad. Winter stared at the crusted ceiling above them, reminiscing of all the events of his current life before his eyelids drooped, leaving him relaxed and emerged in darkness.

Peach and 623 looked over to Winter who was now slumbering. Peach smiled. She grabbed a nearby cloth and covered him. 623 leaned back again the wall closest to him and smirked.

"After all the years it took for the two of you to get together, you ever think it would be like this?" he asked.

Peach stared at her sleeping love with a smile. "Regardless of the situation…this is still everything I've ever wanted. Through all the money and all the fame, I would of given it all up for him…in a way, I have since the world turned into this living nightmare."

"Maybe that's the price now. Ever think that if there was a God this was its way of being 'fair'?

She giggled softly and raised her eyebrow to his remark. "Maybe it is. But after all of this, I doubt I'd ever believe still. You ever think you and Natsumi will get together after this?" she asked.

623 stared up at the ceiling and smiled softly. He shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I doubt she'll ever look at me the way she used to. I regret not taking my opportunity when I had the chance. Going back to if a God exists, this is my punishment, haha."

"Oh hush with that God talk. Anything is humanly possible, like this apocalypse. Give it some time and who knows" Peach replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"We'll see. For now, I won't try my luck."

"I understand. While we're talking about stuff like this…" she began solemnly.

"He hasn't mentioned anything yet….at least to me" 623 replied sadly.

"I see…I was hoping he would of said something to you…"

"If he remembers anything, you'll be the first I tell."

"Thank you, 623…"

—

"Summer! I found some more medicine in this cabinet!" Snow called out cheerfully.

"That's perfect! And I just found a pile of clothes. No rips or stains!" Summer replied just as excited.

"Wow! This place is filled with lots of great things!" Snow exclaimed as she filled her bag with supplies.

"Hastings! Anything in your area?" Summer shouted out.

After a minute of no reply, Summer shouted out once more. Still nothing. Snow and Summer gave each other a serious look before running in the direction they saw him last. They busted down a rusted door and found him lying on the ground, coughing.

Summer leaned down next to him while Snow helped to sit him up.

"Hastings, are you alright? What happened?" Summer asked.

Hastings continued to cough, covering his mouth with his arm. When he pulled away, there were traces of fresh blood covering his arm. Summer pulled away, looking surprised and worried. Snow quickly grabbed some of the new medication she gathered in hopes she'll find something that could help.

"Hastings, your condition has gotten worse…" Summer said grimly.

Hastings tried to talk, but was coughing in-between words. "I…I know…I've…..I'm…sorry…" he managed to utter in-between his coughing fit.

"Are you feeling any changes? Any at all?" Summer asked, still keeping her distance.

He managed to shake his head to indicate no. She loosened up a little knowing he wouldn't lie in this situation for the safety of everyone. She leaned back down and helped Snow give him medication. Summer opened her backpack and pulled out a small container of water and handed it to him.

He took the pills and water handed to him and quickly downed them. They sat there with him for about ten minutes as his coughing fits subsided. The two girls helped him to his feet.

"Thank you, the both of you. I'll try to be more careful from now on" Hastings told them.

"Just make sure to tell us if it gets bad again big guy" Summer responded as she helped him walk.

Snow grabbed the bags of supplies and clothes they managed to put into sacks and followed after them.

"So big guy, anything else we should be worrying about with you?" Summer asked jokingly.

Hastings managed a chuckle. "No no, the bloody coughing fits are all that's plaguing me right now. Hopefully the medication will finally kick in and get rid of it for good."

"I'm sure it will!" Snow replied cheerfully.

"We can only hope so. You're a tough guy after all" Summer noted.

"Thank you girls, being part of this group sure is comforting. I wish I'd known you before all of this mess" he replied.

Summer and Snow looked at each other sadly and continued walking on with the sick man on Summer's shoulder.

"Who knows big guy, you just might have" Summer replied with a frown.

—

Winter continued to sleep even as Summer, Snow, and Hastings made their return. Peach quickly ran over to their side to help with Hastings while 623 could only manage a wave with his free hand.

Summer let Snow and Peach take care of the old man as she strolled over to 623. She slumped down next to him and sighed, pulling her knees to her head.

"Rough time?" he asked.

"He's getting worse…" she sighed, head in her knees.

"I can see that…he say anything?" he prodded.

"He wishes he knew us before all this…." she scoffed. "Can you believe that?"

623 looked up at the ceiling and smiled lightly. He quickly directed his attention to Summer once more before speaking. "That might be a good sign though."

"How do you figure that?" she asked annoyed.

"It could mean he's starting to remember…I dunno…maybe it's wishful thinking…" he replied sullenly.

Summer remained silent, head still against her knees. She looked to the side slightly to see 623 who was staring sadly at the ceiling. She sighed.

"We can only hope, Saburo."

"You haven't called me by my name in a year now…"

"Don't get used to it."

"Haha, I won't…it was just a nice change….I know you're trying though, to cheer me up. In your own, cynical way."

"I'm a cynic now? I haven't noticed" the tense, pink haired girl replied.

"I can't blame you for it though, with everything that's happened…but hey, I'm glad that you're still here" 623 replied with a lightly punch to her shoulder. It was the first smile he got from her in a while now.

Snow ran in excitedly with her loot bags. "Summer! There's still some clothes left for the rest of us if you want anything new."

"Thanks Snow, I'll look at them in a second. Let 623 have the first pick though since he can't really move" Summer replied, still sitting in the same position as earlier.

Snow hopped over to 623 and proceeded to sprawl out clothing pieces for him to choose from. He settled on what appeared to be a designer blue shirt, a black tank top, and a new pair of jeans. He decided to take off his tattered grey shirt and quickly replace it with the new black tank top. Snow then nudged Summer, smiling still.

Summer smiled back at her and examined the clothing before her. She settled on a red shirt, a black shirt, and black leggings. She kept her choices fairly simple and efficient for her scouting missions.

Snow grabbed the last of the male clothes and set them down next to Winter for when he awoke before leaving the two conscious team members alone once more. Summer looked over her new clothing options. 623 silently watched her, hoping she'd start a conversation. Minutes passed in silence. Winter's sleep driven groans broke their silence.

"Mmmh…Sis? And 623…" he muttered from the ground. Winter yawned before continuing his talking. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Since we first got here buddy. Probably two, three hours maybe" 623 replied, happy that the silence was being filled.

"When did you get back Summer?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Maybe 30 minutes ago. You've got some gifts next to you by the way."

Winter looked to his side to find the clothing piled next to him. He scanned them for a short time before questing where they came from.

"I found them earlier with Snow, we brought them back for everyone. That's the last of the male clothing so pick whatever you want, it's yours" Summer replied.

"I see, well that was lucky. Find anything else?" he asked as he picked up the clothing and inspected each one.

"Snow found medications and a couple of rations. We were planning on heading back up there to collect the rest of the stuff, maybe go past the barriers we set up as well" she explained.

"You don't look so good Summer, maybe you should take a break. I'll go with Snow if need be" Winter replied, staring at his unmoving sister.

"I'm fine. Besides, if anything happens to you, Peach would have a heart attack. You're better with the people as well" she replied quickly.

"Why don't we stay here for a day then? We could all use a day to rest and probably eat" he tried to coax her.

Summer stayed silent and curled up to her knees. She didn't want either of them to know that she did need a break, that her stomach was in knots from never eating, or that her head was pounding due to the lack of water and sleep. She kept up her facade through the pain and managed to stand up.

"We can stay for a little, but I'm going up and looking some more" she said, walking past both of them.

623 and Winter watched her walk away wearing matching frowns. Winter looked over to his injured friend and sighed.

"She's as stubborn as ever" Winter sighed.

"She's trying to keep us all safe though. Sadly, it's at her expense" 623 replied sadly.

"I know…honestly, I'd be fine with staying here. When we first walked in it was in fairly great condition. It's big enough to hold everyone and," he paused as he watched a group of their people walking by happily, "they like it here. They can move around. If it still has more to be explored, it's perfect then."

623 waits as a couple children run by happily. "I'm in no condition to move just yet, so staying here would be nice. We can bring it up to them, to everyone. We'll let them decide. They have plenty of well-fit people that know how to fight and use guns. If we end up going our separate ways, it wouldn't be a loss for either side" 623 pondered out loud.

"I agree. Let's wait till Summer heads out though. I know she feels the same about our saved groups, but she'll fight us on leaving them here."

"Alright. So we wait. Though I feel like I already know their answer."

"I do to, and I'm fine with it" Winter replied with a smile. Peach walked in shortly with some bandages and alcohol. She wandered over to Winter first.

"Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, I've been awake for a while now. Is everything alright?" he questioned.

"Everything is fine, better actually. Snow and Summer found so many helpful pills and syrups. Not to mention alcohol for disinfecting wounds and so much more. Everyone seems to be happy for now" Peach replied with a smile.

"Hey Peach, what would you say to us bringing up staying here to everyone? Even if they decided to leave us?" 623 asked, straight to the point.

She stared at both of them for a moment before saying, "Honestly, if would be easier. And if we all decided to stay here, it would be wonderful for all of us. There's plenty of buildings across the way that we can connect to this one so we can have more space. It's almost like a castle when I think about it."

"That's actually a great idea Peach!" Winter exclaimed. "Yeah! We can expand pretty easily. Keep to the skies. Maybe a few roll-up ladders to the sides for easy evacuation. It would be perfect!"

"Ha ha, I don't think I've seen Winter this happy since he started that Occult Club!" 623 laughed.

"That was great and you know it!" Winter shouted back happily.

The three laughed at these old memories and continued offering ideas for their exciting new home. Snow and Hastings joined them shortly after and indulged in their fantastic ideas. Soon, all of their people began merging into the room with them offering their own ideas. Everyone was having a nice time for the first time in months. Everyone but Summer who stood by the wall closest to them, listening in. She sighed. Taking her empty loot bags, she turned and began walking toward the stairs that would lead her to more goodies.

As she treaded up the stairs, thoughts of her old life began flooding her mind. Memories of her school life and her friends. Her playing sports and volunteering for school events. The days her brother and her would just sit in their living room. The days where their mother would surprise them by coming home early from work. Those days where she had a crush on 623. The days where Peach and Winter weren't engaged and were still children fighting for their feelings.

Summer felt a tear roll down her cheek, causing her to pause for a moment. She placed her hand upon her cheek and wiped it away gently, cherishing it for a moment. Recovering from her memories, she continued up the steps. Venturing into the room where Snow, Hastings, and herself were at last. She began picking out the cabinets for all food supplies. She managed to find a few tool kits and med kits hidden under sink cabinets. Looking around her in just this room, she realized there was still plenty to take back down. Her gaze focused on the boarded up hallway that Snow and Summer had set up earlier.

'_We could build a bridge of some kind and connect the buildings surrounding us!' _Winter's words echoed in her head. Setting down the bags, she picked up one of the tool kits and extracted a crow bar. Placing it on the edge of one of the boards, she began pulling them apart until one by one, the boards broke. Putting the crowbar in her belt, she crouched through the boards and continued forward, leaving her bags of loot behind.

Looking back behind her to see the broken boards, she decided to block it off with a nearby box in the hall she stood in, just in case. Summer scanned the dark hall in front of her. There were a few boxes of paper sprawled about. The walls were covered with tarps and the lighting fixtures remained untouched.

"Must be a switch in here somewhere to activate them…" Summer said out loud.

Right as she spoke, a blinding light glowed from the sides of the tarps, leaking into the room she stood in. The tall girl shielded her eyes and took cover as the light grew more and more intense. The room pulsed as if an earthquake was in motion. Suddenly, the pulsing stopped. Summer slowly opened her eyes to see the room was fully lit. Confused, she inspected the lights to see they were fine and operational. Even the faint humming buzz of the lights was there.

"I guess the lights just started up on their own…must of been a circuit thing" she concluded. She remained vigilant as she explored the hall. The thoughts of the lights enveloping her and the earthquake still fogged her mind. "It must of just been a fluke…or maybe a helicopter passed by!" she exclaimed. She ran to the tarps, pushing them aside to reveal that the walls were windows. She gazed at the dark buildings surrounding her and just how high up she was. She realized she was on a sky bridge between two buildings.

"This is perfect! This is exactly what Fuyuki wanted! Oh! But I don't see a helicopter anywhere….if it was a helicopter, it must have flown away by now…" she told herself as she covered up the windows.

"I should look around some more before I go back…" she whispered to herself as she continued walking down the sky bridge hall.

"_Keep going." _a strange voice whispered to her.

Startled, she grabbed the crowbar and held it out in front of her in a fighting stance. "Who's there?!"

No one answered. She stood her ground, pointing the crowbar at every side of her. "I know you're there! Show yourself! Don't be a coward!" she shouted. Minutes passed in silence. She pulled down her weapon and sighed. "I guess I'm hearing things now…"

She looked ahead of her and decided to walk forward regardless if she was hearing voices or not. As she walked, she saw a door ahead of her. The closer she got, the more the door creaked open. She stopped and so did the door. Summer tried to rationalize what was going on. Maybe someone was on the other side watching, or maybe it was a draft that coincidentally stopped as she did. Or maybe, she shuddered at the thought, it was ghosts.

"Come on Natsumi that's….well, with a zombie apocalypse upon us, it wouldn't really surprise me if there were ghosts too…." she whimpered.

_"__Go forward girl…" _the voice growled with annoyance.

Summer clutched at her crowbar once more, shaking. "W-who are you? What do you want?"

A light enveloped her and the door in front of her. Struggling, the girl looked for some sort of an answer to what was going on. Before she could react, she was pushed through the door. As her body flung through the room, the door shut behind her loudly.

"What's going on?!" she shouted, still enveloped in light. She found herself in a small, bright room. The light grew more intense, blinding her. Her eyes glowed white as the light consumed her.

Summer found herself wandering a completely white room with no evident ceilings, walls, or floors. Confusion struck her as she wondered where she was and how she got there.

"A white light…shrouded me and then…." she groaned, clutching her head, "Ugh…my head hurts…and my stomach…" she continued to groan, clutching both her side and head.

"Side effects of not taking care of yourself. Foolish human" a tall person, shrouded in light growled.

"Who are you?! How did I get here?!" she shouted, reaching for her crowbar. "Huh, my crowbar?!"

The tall figure held up her weapon almost mockingly, "This?"

"How'd you…what is this…?" she asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Are you scared?" the tall figure mocked.

"Scared? Of you? HA!" she sneered, gaining more confidence.

As she replied, a bullet flew past her face, barely leaving a small scratch upon her cheek. Her eyes were wide and her body tense as it zoomed by.

"And now?" the figured asked.

Summer simply stood there, unsure of what to do or say. She stared at the shrouded figure, maintaining her eyes on it. She wanted to run, but there were no hiding options. She wanted to fight, but her crowbar was in the figure's hands and her guns…she must have dropped them she figured as they were not on her belt.

"Natsumi Hinata."

"How do you know my name…" she questioned curiously.

"I know everything about you, human" it growled.

"Human..? What…are you?"

"In due time. Human, stay here, in this building. Otherwise you'll regret it" it warned.

"Are you threatening me?" she asked angrily.

"I've proven that I could kill you at any moment, I'm just trying to help you, you pathetic girl" it responded angrily.

"Pathetic? I'll show you who's pathetic!" She shouted, running at the figure.

The figure stayed put as Summer charged at him. The figure seemed to get further and further from her as she ran.

"What tricks are you pulling now?! Stop running!" she shouted.

"You're the only one running. You can't touch me human. No matter how hard you try. Now," his voice boomed. He raised his arm, sending the girl to what would be the floor. She toppled over, landing on her behind. The figure loomed over her now. "You and your group will stay put in this building. For your own good. Got it?"

Summer glared up at him. She looked to the side and then back at the figure. Finally, she nodded in agreement.

"Good. Maybe you're not so dumb after all…Go forward further into this room until you find the security room. Activate the generators and you will have a sanctuary here for the time being. Understand?"

"How do you know all of this…?

"I just do. Now go do what I told you."

The light surrounding the two began disappearing into the figure. The room returned to normal around Summer. She watched the figure disappear into the light, leaving her all alone again. Still on the ground, she felt dumbfounded at what just happened. Scanning the room, she could see a hallway of rooms. At the end of the hall, she could make out the words, _Security_, on the centered door.

"Security…that figure…he said to go to the security room…" she repeated to herself as she stood up on her feet. The pain of her head and stomach still pulsed through her, causing her to limp down the hall. With every step, the pain increased.

"Sh-shit…I should of dealt with this before I left…ugh, I feel like I'm going to puke or pass out…" she groaned. Finally, she managed to get to the door. As she turned the handle, the door made a loud creak, but it refused to open.

"You've got to be kidding me…come on, just push open!" she shouted, pushing as much as she could in her weakened condition. Through countless attempts, she still couldn't get the door open past a few inches. She fell to her knees in front of the door, hand still trying to push.

"I…I can't…I feel like…I'm going to pass out…" she whispered to herself.

"Pathetic human…" the voice called, followed by a stream of light that flowed into her.

"W..what? Where are you…?" she asked groggily.

"Shut up and let the light go through you" it responded, agitated.

Summer didn't have the energy to argue with the voice. Instead, she let the light go through her body as instructed. She felt a surge of energy, rejuvenating sleep, liquids and sustenance filling her stomach. The pain in her body deceased. She looked up, astounded that she felt better. She looked around for the figure, but she couldn't find him.

"Strange…." she said to herself before pushing the door open finally. The rusted door creaked loudly and slammed against the wall, echoing through the long hall. Summer looked around the dark room for a switch or lever of any kind to turn on the generators.

"But…even if I find it, power has been cut for months now…am I even sure this will work..?" she pondered as she brushed her hands around he walls. "Then again, whoever that was…he seemed to know what he was talking about…I guess I should trust him…for now…Oh! Is this it?" she asked as her hands stumbled upon a large lever. She pulled the lever up with both her hands and all of her strength until it budged. A loud whirring sounded off. The machine in front of her began lighting up, first with small orbs, then with giant screens, and lastly with the actual lights above. The screens in front of her showed different areas of the buildings connected. She could see the room where everyone was gathered.

"Security cameras! This is perfect! Huh, they all look like they're having a good time…" she said with a slight hesitance. A smile crept onto her face as she watched them laughing and enjoying themselves.

"Maybe I've been working myself and everyone too hard…I guess it would be best if we stayed here…it looks like there's no one else here surprisingly…though we should make sure, just in case…"

She continued to stare at the group who was now surprised that lights surrounded them. She smiled, knowing things would be a little better for them all.

"I guess this is our saving grace for now, our little own sanctuary…"


	5. Gabriel's Descent

**Gabriel's Descent **

**There are still two more names that have not been revealed and they will be later as to not ruin the surprise. There may be more added later on as well. Also, the platoon are named after actual Angels that I've been researching. **

**Keroro: Gabriel Giroro: Michael Tamama: Zerachiel Dororo: Uriel **

**Kululu: Azreal **

"It's incredible! This building is solar powered!" 623 exclaimed, examining the solar panels on the roof. Snow helped him walk around and examine ever piece of technology on the roof.

"It's incredible that my sister managed to find a generator that still worked. I can't believe she's in favor of staying too. On top of finding the sky bridge! It's everything we wanted!" Winter exclaimed, staring off the ledge of the roof. Although the world around them was decrepit and destroyed, it was still an amazing sight. He noticed the casting of his shadow, causing him to turn around. His eyes grew wide as he saw the sun rise.

623 and Snow both stopped to stare with him. With how the sky has been clouded, the sun's appearance could only mean hope for them, a strange, beautiful phenomenon.

"I almost forgot how beautiful it was…" Winter replied, a tear in his eye.

"Yeah…it's nostalgic…" 623 replied.

Snow smiled as she stared at the sunrise. "It looks like things are looking up for us. Oh! We should get everyone out here to see it!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"It would be good morale for everyone, why not!" Winter replied, already running down the steps to gather everyone outside.

623 laughed, "I remember when that kid sucked at athletics, and look at him now. He's running down stairs, haha."

"The world does strange things to people" Snow replied with a smile.

623 limped over to the edge of the building closest to the sun and admired the beauty. Shortly after, flocks of people sat next to him as everyone wanted to witness the amazing beauty they were graced with.

Summer on the other hand, watched from inside. She had been taking the tarps off the sky bridge just in time to witness the sun rising. "Would you look at that…" she whispered.

"Consider it the first miracle" the tall figure replied.

Summer quickly turned to see no one around. "I know I heard you…where are you?" she demanded.

"It's not my time to show myself. Expect Gabriel."

"Who? And what do you mean not your time?"

"Don't you ever listen?" he replied, irritated.

"I'm not used to taking orders, I give them" she replied, just as annoyed.

"Heh, someone's got a backbone all of a sudden. You're more interesting than you let on."

"You said you knew everything about me, so you should know that" she replied with a sneer.

"Don't mock me, human. Or else." he growled.

"Or else what? You'll kill me? Seeing as you're talking to me, it means you need me for something. So killing me would ruin your plans, wouldn't it?"

The voice remained silent.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

The voice continued to be silent.

"Ugh, answer me!" She shouted, waiting for a response that would not come. "Fine…be that way."

"Sis! You should come see the sun rise!" Winter shouted, running down the bridge.

"Winter…I can see it from here. I need to secure this area still in case there's something or someone in here and—" Summer ranted until she was interrupted by her brother taking her hand and pulling her with him. "F-fuyuki!"

"Come on Natsumi! You deserve a break!" he replied joyously. Summer let a smile slip as she let her brother drag her to where everyone was gathered on the roof.

—

As everyone began working once more to make the building more livable, Summer pulled Winter to the side in a broom closet.

"What's wrong Summer?"

"Listen…I need to talk to someone about…something…" she whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he whispered back.

"Look, what I'm about to tell you might sound a little crazy…"

"I was the president of an occult club, I could be king of the crazy. You can tell me anything."

"Right….well…I've kind of been…" she sighed, "I've had strange things happen to me since we've entered this building…I mean, technically since that orb of light surrounded us…" she stammered.

"Orb of light…oh, oh right. That was strange, wasn't it…" he replied, intently listening.

"I swear I saw a gunshot before that happened. And it wasn't one of ours. It came from above me…and then again last night when I was patrolling…this white light and earthquake happened when I was on the bridge…did you see or feel that at all?" she asked.

"I can't say that I did. The only light we had was the flashlights and candles we carried here" the boy replied.

"I see….well…it happened to me…and then I started hearing this voice…I know, I know, it sounds crazy…I thought so too…at first…but it talked to me. It pushed me into the hallway where the security room was and, I think it teleported me into this room filled with light where I could hardly see who was talking. He was really tall, but covered in that light…and he told me about the security room and that there was a generator…he told me it would be best if we stayed here….and just before you got to the bridge earlier…the voice came back. He told me…expect Gabriel. He also told me that he couldn't show up just yet…and…ugh…you must think I'm crazy…" she spoke softly and sadly. She looked up at her brother's face to see he was fairly shocked.

"I knew it…you think I'm crazy…" she continued, sulking.

"No…I don't…Natsumi.." he whispered, "I've been talking to someone too" he replied, slightly shaken.

"W-what? You're not just messing with me, right?" she asked, slightly worried.

"No…he comes to me in my dreams, whenever I'm sleeping…actually, when I was sleeping last night, he and I were talking. He told me to recommend staying here to everyone…he gave me the ideas of how to make it livable, so when you showed us the generator and the sky bridge, I couldn't believe it….but get this…HIS name is Gabriel…" Winter revealed, both excited and scared.

"You've got to be messing with me…really?" Natsumi asked once more, still unsure whether her brother was just fooling her.

"You've got to believe me, I swear Natsumi…Gabriel's been talking with me…." he paused, realization making way onto his face.

"What is it Fuyuki?"

"It all makes sense…." Winter whispered. He quickly rose to his feet and ran out of the closet, causing people to stare. Summer quickly followed after, giving an awkward smile to everyone she passed so they wouldn't worry. Winter ran up to the roof and stopped, panting as he reached the center. Summer quickly followed behind him, stopping next to him.

"Fuyuki, what's wrong? Why did you bolt like that?" she asked.

"Greetings…it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Hinata Fuyuki and Hinata Natsumi" a tall man with black hair, dawning green clothing with a slight glow spoke.

Winter looked up, staring incredulously at the man standing before him with his arm outstretched to him. He reached for his hand and firmly shook it. Summer stared in shock, unsure of what to say.

"My, you two sure are speechless. I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself…my name, is Gabriel."

"Gabriel…you're Gabriel, the one I've been talking with this whole time?" Winter asked.

"The one and only. Oh, I forgot to ask, how is your journal coming along? Surely you've kept up with writing in it?" Gabriel asked.

"Of course! It's been very helpful, just like you said!" Winter replied excitedly. Since he was always interested in the occult, this moment was an amazing experience for him. Summer on the other hand, stared in awe and shock. Gabriel soon drew his gaze to her.

"Hinata Natsumi, you must be so confused. Please, if you'll let me explain?" the black haired man asked.

Summer nodded slowly, still keeping her gaze on him. The glow around him intrigued her, as if it were otherworldly.

"As you know, my name is Gabriel. I am a warrior, or soldier as you might call. I am here to deliver the first miracle and first message to my chosen one. That chosen one, happens to be your brother."

"What do you mean, chosen one exactly?"

"I see Michael hasn't informed you of anything of your destiny…what a shame. I'll have to scold him when he comes" Gabriel said, sighing.

"My destiny? What are you talking about, and Michael…is that who's been talking to me?" Summer asked, getting more and more confused.

"In due time Natsumi, it is not my place to tell you your destiny. My place is by your brother."

"Gabriel, is the first miracle the sun rise?" Winter asked.

"Why yes. My miracle is bringing light to this decrepit world" the tall man smiled.

"And this message you're supposed to give?" Summer prodded.

"Your brother's destiny and my cooperation with it. Sadly, only your brother can hear it, so I cannot tell you. Please understand Natsumi, it's nothing personal between the two of us" Gabriel told her with an apologetic smile.

Summer pouted. Winter laughed nervously, knowing neither of them could really do anything about it.

"Don't worry Natsumi, you will find out soon enough. I will make sure to scold Michael when I can for him not informing you right away…ugh, what an infuriating guy he can be! I mean, haaha, he's just really stubborn" Gabriel explained, trying to laugh it off cooly.

"Whatever" Summer replied coldly, turning her back to him. Gabriel reached out to her, unsure of what to do to make it better. Winter stopped him and shook his head with an awkward smile to indicate that it's best to just leave her be for now.

"Anyway, does this mean you're joining our group?" Summer asked, still having her back turned.

"Y-yes. I will be joining your group. I hope you will listen and stay put at this building?" Gabriel asked, unsure of how to approach Summer.

"It's proven to be sufficient for our needs, so yes, we're staying. But if you try to pull anything, don't think I won't try to stop you or this Michael, got it?" Summer threatened.

Gabriel gave a crooked smile. "To think a human would give me such threats…but I digress, you have my word."

"Gabriel, why do you keep saying human? Are you not human yourself?" Winter inquired.

"No, I am not. But what I am, well, I think it best to hold off for a while on that. Though I ensure you that you can trust me and my comrades."

"Comrades? There's more than you and this other guy that plagues me?" Summer asked, turning slightly toward Gabriel now.

"Yes. There's myself, Michael, as you've become acquainted, then there's Zerachiel, Azrael, and Uriel. I trust the other three have made themselves known to the three other chosen ones" Gabriel explained.

"There's three others?" Summer inquired, peaking her interests.

"I've already told you more than I should have Natsumi. Next time you and Michael talk, you should ask him about it."

"Fine…well then, we should get you introduced to everyone else and get you started on helping us" Summer replied with a sigh. She began walking down the steps of the roof, stopping shortly to see Winter signing to her that he will follow soon.

Winter waited till he was sure she was gone before walking to the edge of the building, motioning for Gabriel to follow. "I have to thank you for this view…it's been months since we last saw the sun like this."

"Of course, it was the least I could do for this planet. I'd often hear about how the sun would bring happiness to you humans. Let alone the sight of it. This might be the first time I've personally seen it…the Gabriel before me must have seen it loads of times though!" Gabriel chuckled as he stared into the sun with wonder.

Winter stared at his new friend, his head filling with many questions. "If I remember my studies, in biblical texts, there was a Gabriel. Along with a Michael, Uriel, Azrael, and Zerachiel along with so many others. You're considered angels…is that what you are?" Winter prodded.

Gabriel took a deep breathe, turned to Winter, and smiled. "You don't believe in angels, Fuyuki. So why would an angel come to you?"

"So you are…! That's…I mean…you're pretty bad at lying. Taking a deep breathe before speaking is a habit of liars. But…wow…I mean, I guess I always felt like there was something out there, even during this catastrophe…but you're living proof of it…I mean, is living technically the correct term?" Fuyuki asked question after question, overloading the angel in front of him.

"Woah woah Fuyuki! One question at a time. Just cuz I'm an angel doesn't mean I can do it all kiddo…" Gabriel put his hands up in defense.

"SO YOU ARE AN ANGEL?!" Winter exclaimed with excitement.

Gabriel realized his mistake and quickly face palmed. All those years of training went to waste. When he looked back at the boy beside him, his eyes were wide and full of wonder. With a confused smile, Gabriel asked, "Y-yes?"

"You've got to tell me EVERYTHING! How many angels are there exactly? Is Lucifer actually real? Is there a God? What's God like? How many humans have you talked to before? Are you technically aliens? You know, there's a theory that aliens are actually angels because you are both associated with a white light and" Winter continued to babble on, drowning Gabriel with thoughts and questions. The angel sat there, trying to focus on the questions, but drowned himself with his own thoughts.

_Man, this kid sure has a lot to say…he's…interesting to say the least…aliens? Really? Humans sure think about a lot of things…He's still talking…oh G, what am I to do…wait…what did he just say? He's staring at me now, shit…I should of been focusing. I wasn't ready for this job so soon, ugh…_

"Gabriel?" Winter called out.

"AH! Hahahaha…y-yes Fuyuki?" the panicked angel asked.

"Winter."

"What?" Gabriel asked in confusion.

"Call me Winter. It's safer" Fuyuki informed.

"I-I see. Alright, Winter. You've asked a lot from me in such a short amount of time, how about we start slow huh?"

"Haha, right. Sorry, I've always been interested in the paranormal. But you knew that already. Oh, but I thought you and the angels you named weren't guardian angels? Aren't you all supposed to be side by side with other powerful angels and God?"

"In a way, yes. I am not a guardian angel. That job is given to newer, younger angels. But…since the day you were born, it has been my job alongside your guardian angel to watch and wait. I've been studying everything about you since the day you were born. 20 years is not a lot of time, but the information in it is very vast. From every movement, to every though, and even every word. Though I'm still bad at memoriz—I mean, I know everything about you ahahaha…" Gabriel replied, smiling awkwardly.

Winter stared at him with a smile and nodded. He looked out to the sun which was now higher and brighter than earlier. It was almost noon.

"So my role in this apocalypse…what is it exactly?" Winter asked, unmoved.

"For now, you are a scribe."

"A scribe?" he asked curiously.

"Your journal. Yes, it is a way for you to relieve yourself of your thoughts and memories, but more so, it will be used to archive what all has happened in this war."

"War?" Winter looked up at the now serious angel. Gabriel noticed, shooting him a curious look.

"Yes Winter?"

"You just said…war. What exactly is this apocalypse?"

"War…did I say that?" he asked, sighing, "I guess I can't keep anything secret. …You see, Winter, this whole world is now—"

"Winter! We're holding our routine meeting! Hurry up!" Summer called from the stair way.

"Another time then" Gabriel replied, walking away.

"W-wait! Did…did she?"

"No. She only recently showed up. She has not heard anything of this conversation. In due time, Michael will come to her and tell her of her destiny. For now though, let us go to this meeting."

"Right. We can talk later tonight when everyone is asleep" Fuyuki offered, following the angel down the steps.

—

"The buildings have been cleared. Most of this building has been cleared and maintained for living uses" Snow reported.

"Supplies proved to be bountiful, though we should still take heed and not indulge ourselves. We should look around the neighboring buildings for other supplies and food" Hastings added.

"We've already created a sentry and guard duty charts. We'll have two at the front door of this building for now, two on the roof, and two in the sky bridge. Patrolling will occur by the sky bridge group. We managed to find three walkie talkies so far that work. Each group will carry one. We still need someone to take the roof for tonight" 623 added, looking around the room.

"Gabriel and I will take the roof tonight" Fuyuki interjected, coming down the stairs just in time to hear the reports.

"Alright, that settles it then. We'll begin signing up teams after this meeting that will become routine, so be sure to check and memorize your schedules everyone. We're a team and a family now" 623 retorted, flashing a bright smile.

Summer, leaning against the wall, arms folded, kept silent. Her eyes would dart every once in a while to Gabriel and Winter. The need to know what her brother is up to began to consume her. She knew she had to wait, but secrecy was something new after all they've been through.

"Summer, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Peach looked over to her.

"…No. Everything seems to be in order. If there are no further additions, the meeting will be adjourned. Get to your posts and to your rooms. Have the patrol teams lead you there. Do not wander outside the building for your safety and everyone else's. That is all" she responded. She moved from her wall into the the stairway door next to her.

The group of people began shuffling about, some to patrol, others to go to their respective rooms. Fuyuki and Gabriel began heading back up the stairs to continue their conversation.

623, Peach, Snow, and Hastings all took notice of the shift in the atmosphere between the three.

"So, any ideas why Summer is more tense than usual?" 623 asked.

"I'm not sure. She's been like this since that man came to us" Peach replied.

"Does anyone know anything about him? Winter seems to have taken quiet fondly to him" Hastings added.

"Come to think of it, how did he get to us?" 623 asked suspiciously.

"You know, I'm not sure" Peach replied, confused.

"Could he have been already in this building perhaps?" Hastings offered.

"Maybe. But Summer reported that it was clear" 623 retorted.

"Summer doesn't seem too happy. I wonder if she knows him…" Peach returned.

"I've never seen him before. We've known her for years Peach" 623 addressed.

Snow stood up, a faint smile on her face. Everyone's gaze went to her, curious.

"Snow?" Peach called.

"Summer feels sad inside…I can feel it. This is the first time she isn't fully involved in everything we do, so she's trying to adjust" Snow responded before walking to the stair way.

"I see…I guess I get that. After all, those two never kept secrets from each other since this whole mess started" 623 sighed.

"We shouldn't pry then. We'll give her space and time. We should be focusing on our jobs. Speaking of which, 623" Peach called.

"Yeah? What's up Peach?"

"We need to get you some new bandages and get you to your room. Thankfully our rooms are all located on this floor, so getting you there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Right, I'll manage to limp there" he replied, pulling himself up and balancing. Hastings grabbed his arm and curled it around his shoulder.

"It's alright big guy, I've got this" 623 tried to coax him, but the old man wouldn't allow it. He helped him to his room with Peach following after, medical bandages and alcohol in hand.

"Now be still 623, this is gonna hurt" she remarked, applying the alcohol to his wounded leg. He let out a loud shout, echoing through the building.

Winter and Gabriel looked toward the stair case where they heard the shout.

"It's fine. Your friend is being treated for his wounds.

"That's a relief. Anyway, what's with this war?" Winter asked.

"You see…angels are at war currently. At least, we're preparing for one. This Apocalypse wasn't caused by natural disasters or anything…it was…well, a bad angel did all of this."

"Bad angel? Do you mean Lucifer?" Winter inquired, peaking his interest.

"Yes, who did you know?" Gabriel questioned.

"Humans like to study and worship religion a lot here…there's the Bible and other forms of it circulating the world with information about God and angels and even Lucifer" Winter informed him.

"I think I've heard something about that when I was training…but a lot of that information is false. What all do you know?"

"Well, according to those texts, Lucifer was a beloved angel. One that God loved over all others. And one day, Lucifer decided to go against God and started a giant war between angels. After the war, he was punished and exiled to hell—" Winter began listing off his knowledge before Gabriel started laughing. "What?"

"You humans surely are funny. Is that really what you all believe?" he chuckled.

"Well, not everyone believes it. That's why there are multiple religions on this planet, but they all basically say the same thing" Winter shrugged.

"And you? Do you believe?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I used to…I mean, you're proof that there is a higher power, but, I only believe what is logical."

"I see. You're a smart one" Gabriel replied, smiling.

"So what is the truth then? About the books and Lucifer."

Gabriel sighed and looked to the sky. "Fuy…Winter, did you know that all the stars above us are all living beings?"

Winter looked up at the sky, puzzled. He gazed back at Gabriel who was intently watching the stars. "That's not scientifically possible. Stars are balls of gas billions of light years away."

Gabriel started laughing again, causing Winter to look a little annoyed. Laying back on the cement roofing, Gabriel continued smiling up at the stars. He pointed to one and looked over to Winter.

"That one's your mother."

Winter's eyes fell cold and glazed. He glared at Gabriel. The angel glanced over, confused now.

"What's wrong?"

"That's not possible. Nor is it funny" Winter replied angrily.

Gabriel stared at him for a while, unsure of what had happened. He thought about what he'd learned about humans and remembered they based everything off of proof. Smiling once more, he motioned for Winter to lay beside him. Hesitant at first, Winter stayed on his side. Another minute, Winter gave in and did as instructed. Gabriel pointed once more at the star for Winter to see. Winter stared at the star, unfazed. He didn't want to think about his mother after what had happened to her.

The star twinkled blue in the night sky, surrounded by many others. The two lay on the roof, motionless and silent for some time. Gabriel glanced over to Winter, frowning.

"Winter. There are many things your kind doesn't know about your world and the universe surrounding you. It's true that stars are composed of gasses and are physical forms billions of years away from you. But, they are also beings that once lived. When someone dies and they have someone they want to look over, a new star is born for them so they can watch over that someone. When a star disappears, it means they can no longer watch over that person. Usually, it's because they have died. Then the cycle repeats itself with that person if they so choose to do so. Sometimes, angels, like me, use stars to watch over people like you" Gabriel explained.

Winter continued to stare up coldly. The star shined brightly. It felt comforting to stare at it, almost familiar. A tear escaped his right eye, causing him to break from his cold stare and brush it away, revealing a slight smile. Gabriel watched him, smiling. He looked back up to the blue star and nodded lightly to it.

"Thank you…Gabriel…" Winter spoke up with a smile. "I…I tried blocking her out of my head because she was gone…because of how horrible I felt…how horrible my sister felt when she left us…but, I really miss her. To know she's still watching over us, it's calming" Fuyuki continued, smiling up at the star as tears welled up in her eyes.

Gabriel nodded, laying back down with him. They continued to stare at the stars, occasionally pointing out constellations and their meaning. The war conversation could wait. Tonight, Gabriel and Winter would share these moments together not as a human and an angel, but as friends.


	6. Zerachial and Azrael

**Zerachial and Azrael**

The sunrise arched over the mountains in the distance. Winter had fallen asleep on the rooftop with Gabriel awake by his side. The other two patrol groups regrouped downstairs to take their well deserved sleep. Gabriel looked up to the sky, smiling.

Summer awoke from her spot in one of the stair rooms. Although she had her room to retreat to, she ended up falling asleep there after wanting some time to herself. Summer stood up and stretched. She began descending the stairs to the downstairs meeting room where everyone was gathering for breakfast. Making her way into the line, she grabbed herself two apples and a small plastic cup of water. Taking the furthest corner of the meeting room, she sat alone with her small portion of food. Watching everyone else, she scanned the room for her friends and brother. No sign of any of them yet.

_They're all tired after all…_she thought to herself, taking a bite of her apple.

Hastings walked out of his room with a plastic cup and fully dressed. He looked over and noticed Summer by herself. He waved to the girl with a smile. She waved by. Snow walked out of her room right after and ran over to Summer the moment she saw her.

"Good morning Summer!" she pipped.

"Good morning Snow, you're very energetic today" Summer replied.

"It's been a while since I've gotten to sleep so well! And my dreams have gotten better as well!" she ranted with her cat-like grin. Summer couldn't help but smile at her friend. She handed her friend the other apple. Snow took it in both hands and thanked her with another smile. The two girls sat side-by-side eating their apples and talking. Summer felt at ease for once. It reminded her of the multiple times they would eat lunch together at their old school. Those were peaceful times for them.

"So, I was thinking" Snow chimed in, interrupting Summer's thoughts.

"You were thinking?"

"Do you want to go find some supplies with me? I was thinking of starting a garden on the roof so we'd have fresh foods. I mean, if that's ok with you and all" the cat-like girl replied, twiddling her thumbs.

Summer smiled at her. "Of course. That would be an amazing idea. I'm sure there's a garden store somewhere around this city."

Snow smiled wide and hugged her friend, excited that she agreed. She quickly stood up and ran to her room and back, procuring two large sacks and two backpacks for them.

"You were prepared" Summer spoke, a sweat drop to her side.

Snow brushed her hair out of her face and smiled.

"I figured I should be ready right away in case you changed your mind later" she replied.

"Alright, well, let's get going then. Oh, we should probably tell Winter."

"Tell him what? Are you going somewhere?" Peach asked, walking up behind them.

"Oh, good morning Peach. We're going to go out for some food and supplies. Snow would like to start a garden on the roof" Summer informed her.

"Oh a garden would be lovely! Fresh food would be a great start to living here. I'll tell Winter when he comes down. Please be safe on your trip" Peach replied, bowing slightly.

"You don't need to be so formal Peach, we're friends after all. We'll try to be back within a few hours if we don't find much."

"Bye Peach! Oh and…" Snow silenced herself as she watched Summer walk away from ear shot. Snow walked over to Peach and whispered in her ear before running off. Peach stared after her. 623 grabbed her shoulder, startling her for a moment.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Where are they off to?" the silver haired boy asked.

"Getting supplies for a garden. 623, did you…I mean, last night—"

"Yes. Peach, we should talk somewhere more private" he replied, limping over to his room. Peach followed and shut the door behind them.

"Do you think it's just the two of us?" Peach asked now that they were alone.

"No. He told me there were others. Winter was the first. It explains Gabriel. But I don't know who else or how many others to be precise."

"I see. He didn't tell me much other than he would be meeting me soon. Maybe we should talk to this Gabriel?" Peach offered.

"Maybe. It might explain why Summer has been so distant as well…Let's go check the meeting room first to see if they've come down from the roof. Then we'll check up there."

"Right. Here, let me help you walk."

"Nah, it's alright. But, can you go over to that corner over there? There's a cane. I meant to use it earlier but I figured we should talk first."

Peach walked over to the corner and grabbed a brown walking cane. She handed it to 623 and let him take the lead out of his room. The two scanned the room for any sign of Winter or Gabriel, but they were not there. They asked around to see if they had come down yet, but no one had seen them. It was decided then that they had to check the roof.

—

"I see. So you're meeting with them today" Gabriel repeated.

"Yes Gabriel. How goes your endeavors with your chosen one?" Zerachiel asked.

"It's all going well. He's learning slowly, but in time he will be what we need" Gabriel replied, looking over the sleeping boy.

"We have guests" Azrael announced. The three angels looked over to the stair corridor to see Peach and 623 staring at them in awe. Gabriel stepped back, leaned down, and picking up the sleeping Winter. He nodded to his brethren and to the two humans before leaving down the steps. The four stayed quiet for a while, unsure of what to say really.

Peach looked over both angels, not sure which one was the one that talked to her in her dreams without hearing his voice. 623 on the other hand, stared directly at Azrael with a smirk. Azrael returned the look to the coy boy.

Zerachiel gazed at the shy girl standing by the stairs. He walked over to her, bowing when he was close enough. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Momoka."

"O-oh!" She quickly bowed back to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Zerachiel!" she replied nervously.

623 and Azrael continued their stare down in silence. It was enough introduction for the two of them.

Zerachiel stood up and looked over to the other two that remained proudly silent. "Azrael, shall we begin?"

"Hmm, why not" he replied with a coiled smile. "Zerachiel, heal his leg before we begin. It'll slow us down."

Zerachiel walked over to 623 and placed his hand over the injured leg. A divine blue light covered the leg as it healed itself in seconds. 623 hopped on his leg, tossing the cane to the side. He thanked the angel before returning his gaze to Azrael.

"What are we doing exactly?" Peach inquired.

"We need to inform you of your destinies in an upcoming war" Zerachiel explained.

"Let's begin. Waisting time is not my strong suit" Azrael interrupted.

"Yes…now, Momoka and Saburo, otherwise known as Peach and 623, you two will fight alongside us and your comrades. You've already met Gabriel, our brother. There are still two more to come. When we are all together, we will begin preparations—"

"Zerachiel, be more clear and stay on topic. You'll confuse the humans" Azrael interrupted.

"Here's an idea, instead of trying to inform both of us at the same time, we separate like Gabriel and Winter did. Sound good?" 623 offered.

"I like this one. I agree. Zerachiel, we'll be taking our leave. Boy, follow."

"Good luck Peach" 623 said before running after Azrael.

Zerachiel sighed. He turned his attention to the anxious girl. "I apologize for his rudeness. He's not very patient."

"I-it's alright. It's less intimidating without him here anyway…" Peach replied nervously.

"Ah, so it is. I've become used to his coarse nature so it doesn't bother me as much anymore. Miss Peach, why don't we start off light with our conversation. We'll be spending a lot of time together, you must have a lot of questions for me."

"That would be nice, thank you. Yes..I do have questions."

"Then ask away."

"Alright…well…I know a little about angels, but I don't remember that much about it. What kind of angel are you?"

"My name is Zerachiel, I'm known for a lot of things. I'm more known as the angel of healing. That's why I could heal 623's leg so easily. I'm also known as, well, I'm like a bridge for you humans to the next life. I guide humans and children alike. I'm also the righthand to Michael. And now, I'm here to guide you."

"You must be pretty powerful…So..what is this war? What am I supposed to do in it?"

"Your purpose in this war, is to both protect the scribe and protect everyone. You've already learned some medical techniques on your own. And, you're already close to the scribe. It's been written for years now that you two would meet."

"The scribe…623?"

"No my dear, your fiancé. He must be protected at all costs. And you, you must make sure none of your comrades die."

"Me? B-but I hardly know how to care for wounds let alone a life!"

"Not to worry, that is why I'm here. I will teach you and guide you through this war. As long as I'm with you, you will succeed."

Peach stood there, taking all the information in. Anxiety filling her head. Zerachiel brushed her hair, using his power of healing to calm her mind. She looked up at him, smiling and nodding.

"I understand…I will do my best to protect those that I love. I should introduce you to everyone so they don't get scared around you. Follow me" she replied with a new found confidence. Zerachiel smiled and followed after her.

—-

Azrael and 623 walked through the abandoned city in silence. Neither had spoken a single word to each other since they began walking. Azrael looked around the torn up buildings, unimpressed with the architecture. He stopped in front of a church with gold lining and dirtied white walls. He stepped inside and gazed with boredom at the mosaic windows. Noticing the pinnacle in the center of the furthest wall, he began walking toward it. 623 eyed him carefully, unsure of what they were doing in there.

Examining the cross with a man imbedded onto it, Azrael started laughing. His laugh echoed throughout the empty room, leaving an eerie trail of noise. He turned to face 623 and pointed to the cross.

"Humans sure are fickle" he chirped out.

"Well, that is true. Why in this case?" 623 asked, examining the statue of the man on the cross.

"I've lived long enough to know what the savior looked like back then, and this is not him. Loyalty. Your kind lacks it, especially in times of war and famine and pestilence. Tell me, who is this man?"

"Presumably Jesus. He was the son of God who gave up his life as a sacrifice to humanity's sins."

Azrael broke out into his hysterical laughter once more before turning serious once more. "Humanity's sins can never be abolished by a mere human's sacrifice. Especially one that was claimed to be the son of God. You see, in case you were unaware, everything is the child of the Lord. More so, in your kind's words, the step parent."

"I'm interested in your explanation, do go on" 623 replied, taking a laid back seat on the pews.

Azrael stood on the altar and smirked at the boy.

"First, do you know who I am?" Azrael asked coyly.

"You're Azrael, the angel of death."

"Very good. At least you humans know that much. What else do you know about me?"

"According to the texts around the world, you're somewhat of a scribe. You're also supposed to have eyes and tongues all over you for every human. But, that doesn't seem like it's the case."

"In another life, I may have been. But you'll never know. You see, you humans were not supposed to know angels existed."

"No? Then what happened?" 623 asked.

"An angel decided to take it upon them to reveal our existence. You see, if you never learned about angels, you never would of had these religions. Many of your wars and crimes would not have existed. Your worlds would actually be in a somewhat more peaceful state than it is now. But alas, it's not. Too bad for your kind. You're stuck in the mess of that same angel now. Congratulations, chosen one" Azrael mocked.

623 continued to stay laid back in his seat and smirking at the angel. He was unfazed by his mockery and scare tactics. Azrael raised his brow, curious why the boy seemed centered and focused.

"Of course you wouldn't be riled by this information, after all, I've watched you for years now. You're not like other humans. Your snide nature made you the perfect choice for what you need to do."

"How about you tell me more about how all of religion is a bunch of bullshit first. I don't like when stories are cut off" 623 replied cooly.

Azrael looked at the boy, smirking back at him, he decided to treat him to the continuation of the story.

"I assume you've learned the name Lucifer?"

"Of course, though I feel like I don't know the truth about him according to you."

"Hmm, he was quite…adored. The big guy really took pride in his oldest, at the time. He was everything you humans were supposed to be. Well, now that I think about it, you are everything he is now. Such wit, such strength and kindness. Beauty, or so I'm told. I was never a looks type anyway. Lucifer was supposed to lead all his brothers and sisters to happiness, to rule over them. He was quite content with his position. Loved, feared, and praised. Now, this was before the Creation. The Creation being your kind. Lucifer often was found alone doing who knows what. Very secretive. When he found out about humans, naturally, he was curious. The big guy didn't want us to have anything involvement with them. They were his prized creations at the time. Lucifer was good at many things, but sharing love from the big guy was not his strong suit."

"So far it sounds like what we know about him. Let me guess, he got Eve to eat the forbidden fruit?" 623 joked.

"Ah, Eve. The abomination" Azrael stated, causing 623 to look t him in confusion.

"I've looked into your kind's interpretation and it's horribly written fiction. Though I can understand where that imagination came from. It's not every day you see beings with power like ours. No, the lord, God as you all call him, he created two humans, Adam and Lillith. Most of your texts refuse to mention her, which, I'm not entirely sure why. She could of saved you all, tried even. Judging by that look, you don't know her. I'm not surprised. Like I said, most of your texts don't speak of her. She was made equal to Adam. From the same soil they rose. And Adam being the charmer he was, insulted her. He demanded she conform to his choices."

"What a dick" 623 muttered out. Azrael smirked at his reply and continued.

"He truly was. Now, annoyed by his ego and presence, Lillith decided to leave him. You see, God wanted two beings just like Lucifer. But he miscalculated their creation. He had made them equal in theory, but they were separate beings with separate traits from Lucifer. When alone, they portrayed him perfectly, but together, they waged war. Lillith was the smart one who left and refused to be around him. This was when Lucifer had come down to them. He had watched them, unknown to the rest of us. He saw the turmoil they created together. He knew they were to be made in his image, but he didn't understand how they represented him when they were nothing like him. He spoke to them both individually. First, to Adam."

"The dick" 623 added jokingly.

Azrael chuckled lightly. "Yes. the dick. Lucifer asked him why he was so brash with Lillith. Adam didn't know. All he could say is that being around her brought forth feelings of uncertainty and anger. They were feelings that were strange to the newborn. He felt the only way was to make her lesser than him. Lucifer didn't want to, but he understood what he had meant. He offered him a deal. Since Adam and Eve were made from his image, they were already lesser than him. Much like the other angels that served him. He offered to make a companion that was lesser than Adam in order to balance his emotions. Taking one of Adam's ribs, he created Eve. She was obedient and selfless, but also curious. Lucifer left them shortly when Adam's demeanor had changed. He ventured to Lillith next. She, unlike Adam, was calm and collected. He found her wandering a barren waste land. When he asked her why Adam and her didn't get along, she couldn't give a sure answer. He asked why she was mad at him. She replied that she wasn't. She just doesn't like his selfishness and fear. They had talked for hours together before Lucifer left her. Unlike Adam, she needed nothing. Lucifer spent time alone after that, considering what was wrong with the humans."

"That's obvious" 623 stated. Azrael looked to the boy, curious and amused.

"He abandoned his throne for a reason. That much I know. If Lillith and Adam were parts of him, they were both him but the two opposing sides to him. One that was calm and collected, the other was anarchy. He gave in to anarchy when he gave Adam Eve. Am I right?" 623 asked, leaning back.

"…You're smarter than you look. Yes. He saw that, but he didn't see it as quickly as you did. He continued to watch the three humans. He watched Lillith leave Adam forever. Adam continued to boss Eve around. He took it upon himself to fix his mistake of making Eve. He told her of the forbidden fruit and that she needed to take it for herself. He had poisoned the fruit in hopes she would die and restore the order between the two original humans. More than anything, he wanted to destroy the subordinate side of him he created for it was weakness in his eyes. When Eve bit into the apple, she didn't die. In an attempt at death, he had created life. Eve was now fertile and could bare Adam's children. He had created more subordinates to Adam and continued to bless him accidentally. Lillith never bore any gifts for her serenity. Lucifer, panicked. He went looking for Lillith to convince her to come back and take over his mistakes. She refused. She looked him in the eyes and told him he picked his side and he knew what he must do now. He returned to the heavens where we were all waiting. We couldn't believe our leader would defy our creator. When he came back though, he wasn't the same. The darkness in him, the part that was Adam, took over. That's when God had to intervene and punish his favorite. He was still too lenient though. He sentenced Lucifer to exile to live with the humans. But Lucifer could not let himself live amongst Adam and his kind. It was his disgusting truth he couldn't face. Instead, he decided to attack us and try to take over. War waged and you know the rest from there I take it?"

"He became the devil?"

"Exactly."

"So, he's behind this apocalypse?"

"Yes. You could say he's hell bent on destroying humans and angels now."

"Was that a pun?" 623 asked, amused.

Azrael smirked and looked back at the Jesus cross. He looked back to 623 with a more serious look now.

"Joking and history aside…your destiny is crucial to our success in this war."

623 sat up, staring intently at Azrael. "And what am I supposed to do?"

"Your destiny is to kill Lillith."

623 looked at him like he was talking crazy. Azrael began walking out of the building. 623 jumped up and ran beside him, demanding answers.

"What do you mean kill Lillith? Isn't she long dead? Hey, Azrael come on!" he whined.

"We are not safe out there. Follow me." Azrael said, grabbing the boys arm.

623 looked around as he followed, unable to see anyone. When they stopped, 623 looked to Azrael who stared up at the sky. He nodded and looked back down at 623.

"I've been informed that Lucifer has scouts following us. Along with your destiny, you must not let anyone who your target is. Like you, no one knows she is alive. My brothers, myself, and God himself are the only ones that know. Now, you as well."

"I understand, but can you at least tell me more about this? You left it kind of vague there."

"Another time. We need to regroup with Gabriel and Zerachiel. Let's go." Azrael whispered to him as he proceeded to walk away.

623 sighed and followed after, scanning the area just in case. "And here I thought you were like me."

Azrael smirked with a crooked smile, "My dear boy, you have no idea what I'm like."

—

Snow jumped up into the trees above while Summer stayed on the ground with one of the big sacks opened wide. As Snow dropped down apples, Summer ran around collecting them. The two girls giggled throughout the experience. When they were done collecting, they lay underneath the trees, eating apples and staring at the sky.

"Hey Summer, can I ask you something?" Snow nervously asked.

"Of course Snow, we're friends after all" Summer replied, rolling over to look at her nervous friend.

Snow's eyes darted away, her cat-like mouth tensed, and her body froze. Summer sent her a puzzled look, unsure what got into Snow all of a sudden.

"Koyuki? You're acting weirder than usual" Summer spoke up, raising her eyebrow.

Snow's eyes darted back to Summer, less tense. She took a breathe and smiled. "I haven't heard you say my name in along time, Natsumi."

"I figured it was my best shot at bringing you back. What's wrong?" Summer inquired.

Snow sighed and looked at Summer, "You're going to think I'm going crazy…" she looked down.

Summer looked at her in surprise. "Koyuki, trust me, I'm the last person that would think you're crazy. My brother was the president of the occult club, remember?" she joked.

Snow smiled and giggled softly. "Promise?"

"I promise. I'm here for you no matter what."

Taking a deep breathe, Snow began speaking, "Well…I've been…sometimes when I…um…ugh, this is weird to say out loud…but, I've been having these dreams."

Summer stared at her, puzzled. "What kind of dreams?"

"Well..I kind of talk to someone I've never met before…and he knows me and says he's going to come see me soon. And he also said that I'm important for some big mission…" Snow replied, looking over to Natsumi for acceptance.

Summer stared at her incredulously, causing Snow to stand up and look more nervous.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't of said anything, you think I'm crazy and—" she was silenced by Natsumi grabbed her hand and gently pulling her back down.

"It's alright, I believe you. I had something like that happen to me too. He hasn't come in my dreams yet…Fuyuki too."

"R-really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better right?" Snow asked, retreating once more.

"No, I'm being serious. That Gabriel guy, he's the guy from Fuyuki's dreams. Some guy named Michael is supposed to talk to me but never does…you're part of that destiny Gabriel was talking about then!" Summer announced.

Snow tilted her head, confused.

"Gabriel won't tell me much about it, but so far, Fuyuki, you, and myself are part of some destiny. There's others too but I don't know who else. Oh! He said the other names too…um…there's Gabriel, Michael..Zera-something, Azrael, and…oh! Uriel! Those were the names!" Summer exclaimed, looking to Snow who was now staring at her incredulously.

"Uriel is who takes to me in my dreams…you do believe me! Oh thank goodness I thought you were just joking with me haha…" Snow replied sheepishly.

"It's alright, I wouldn't of believed it right away if it hadn't of happened to me either. More importantly, did he tell you why he's talking to you?"

"Well, he did talk about a destiny, but he wouldn't say what it was until we met. He did tell me that he should be coming soon to meet me. Do you think he'll be nice?" Snow asked.

"I can't really say. Gabriel seems pretty ok, Michael on the other hand…he's kind of a jerk. I'd say you have a 50-50 chance there" Summer joked.

Snow smiled and hugged Summer close to her. "Thank you, Natsumi. Oh, the sun is above us."

"It must be past noon. We've been out here for a while. Let's go see if we can find a garden shop and get some seeds and supplies and then head home."

"Right!" Snow exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing the bag of apples.

"I'm going to need you to stop right there ladies" a man with a shotgun pointed at them said as he came out of the bushes. Four other men followed right after him, pointing their guns at the two.

"What do you want?" Summer asked, preparing for a fight.

"Why, your food of course. And any weapons, medicine, and other things you might have on you" the man with the shotgun replied.

"Hey Joe, they don't look too bad. Don't see too many women wandering around" one of the others chimed in.

"You're right, how's about you ladies come with us? We'll take good care of you as long as you do as we say."

"I'd rather you shoot me" Summer replied cockily.

Snow stood her ground, eyeing Summer and the guys surrounding them. "We can't run from this one, Summer" she whispered.

"No, we can't, but you can" Summer replied, lunging at the men, luring their attention to her.

"Summer!" Snow shouted, reaching for her.


	7. Uriel's Message

**Uriel's Message**

"Summer!" Snow shouted, reaching for her.

Summer's leg swung around, ready to knock the leader to the ground. She didn't have enough time to stop herself, let alone dodge the bullets that were about to come.

Guns ready, the men pulled back on their triggers, sending a barrage of bullets at Summer.

A man with blue hair tied back in a ponytail kicked the men back and their bullets. He grabbed Summer and set her next to Snow.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Summer nodded, taking caution at the strange man.

Snow on the other hand, stared at him wide eyed. "Uriel…" she whispered, causing Summer to look back at him curiously.

Uriel had walked toward the men who were now trying to get back up. The leader looked up at the blue haired angel with a scowl.

"You got lucky there punk. You're outnumbered, so get lost before we kill you" the man said.

Uriel leaned down to him, placed his hand on the man's head, and closed his eyes. Moments passed and the man pushed Uriel away, sweat matted on his forehead and eyes bulging. He stared up at Uriel, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Boys…let's get out of here…" he spoke.

"But Joe we can take them!"

"No! Get out of here! Now!" he shouted, picking himself up and running off into the distance. His crew stared at Uriel before following after their leader. The angel turned to the ladies and smiled.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I do hope you're both alright and will forgive me for being so brute."

"What did you do to him?" Summer asked curiously.

"I showed him what lies for him in his future if he went through with his plans."

"It must of been something pretty bad to make him run away like that" Snow added, peaking over Summer's shoulder.

"Most people on this planet don't have very fortunate futures in store. You two on the other hand, you have bright futures ahead of you" he said as he offered his hands to both of them.

Snow took his offer and was pulled to her feet. Summer hesitated before taking his hand.

"Is it really you, Uriel?" Snow asked.

"Yes Koyuki, it is me. Forgive me, I'm early for our meeting. But i couldn't let anything happen to either of you so I had to come here quickly" he explained.

"It's a good thing you came when you did then, thank you" Summer replied.

"It's my duty to protect the saviors of this planet. I would like to escort you back to your home if that's alright with you two?"

"Of course, you're staying with us like Gabriel right?" Snow asked happily.

"If you'll allow me to, I would be most gracious to your kindness" he replied with a bow.

"You're definitely a lot nicer than Michael, you're welcome to stay with us" Summer replied.

"Thank you Miss Natsumi, Koyuki. Shall we be off?"

"Yes, but, we have to find something first in the city. Is that alright Uriel?" Snow asked, flashing her cat-like grin. The angel returned the smile and nodded.

—

"Oh, 623 and Azrael, you're back!" Peach announced, running up to them happily before clearing her composure.

"Peach, is everything alright? You seem flustered" 623 replied, looking her over.

"Oh, sorry. I just have this wave of energy ever since this morning. Oh! how did it go? What's your role?" she asked with more and more energy.

623 laughed and pulled her close with his arm. "I'll tell you all about it later, right now, maybe we should do something about this energy of yours. Where's Zerachiel?"

Azrael chuckled as he peaked into one of the rooms. "He's in here. Gluttony is a sin, you know that brother."

Zerachiel sat on the ground eating apples and bread continuously. He looked up embarrassed up at his brother and the two humans. Brushing himself off, he apologized for being a glutton.

"I'm sorry, good isn't exactly something we have up in the heavens. It's quite addicting" he explained sheepishly.

"It's alright, now, can I ask what you did to Peach here? The excessive energy seems a little too much for her" 623 explained.

"Oh, that should wear off by tonight. It's not permanent so don't worry. We'll just need to endure it for now" Zerachiel told them.

"Brothers, may I have a word?" Gabriel asked, entering the room with Winter beside him.

"Gabriel, yes of course. Please excuse us" Zerachiel replied, following Gabriel and Azrael.

Winter strolled over to his friend and fiancé excitedly. "Both of you, you're also chosen ones? This is amazing! You've got to tell me what you need to do!" he rambled off, showing his excitement as he used to when he was younger.

623 peered out of the room, listening in on the conversation between the angels. "Wait, let's hold off until later tonight. It seems like we'll be expecting one more chosen one today."

Winter and Peach stood beside him, listening in together. They could make out whispers of another angel that has made his presence known and is currently with his chosen one. The three concluded that it was either Snow or Summer seeing as they were both gone since the morning.

"I know Summer is also a chosen one for a fact, it only makes sense that Snow is also one of us" Winter revealed.

"That's incredible. What are the chances of all of us being saviors of this world? It's oddly exciting" 623 added.

"Oh, but which one do you think it is though? Between Summer and Snow? Maybe we should wait for all of us to reveal our roles" Peach offered.

"I don't know which one it is, but I think we should reveal our roles tonight to all of us. Even if one of them doesn't know their role, it's only fair we all talk about this. After all, we're in this together for the long run" Winter concluded.

"I'm in. Snow would understand and Summer, she'd be upset for a while, but even she isn't that stubborn" 623 replied.

"While it's just the three of us, can I ask what your angels brought you?" Winter asked curiously.

"What do you mean Winter?" Peach inquired, confused by his question.

"Well, Gabriel brought us the sunrise. He said it was his gift to us, to me. He also said the others would bring miracles with them as well to inspire our help."

"Huh, no, they haven't really done anything yet. Unless you count Zerachiel healing my leg."

"I don't think that one counted. It's something that would mean a lot to us. The sunrise meant a lot to me personally and it was great morale for everyone. Maybe you need to tell them what you want most?" Winter offered.

The three fell silent, thinking about the things they want most. Their thoughts were interrupted as the three angels returned to them.

"Hmm, eavesdropping is so like you humans" Azrael spoke, causing the three to look away, embarrassed.

Gabriel winked over to Winter. "We would of told you right away anyway. Our brother, Uriel, will be joining us."

"Who is he protecting?" Peach asked quickly.

"Koyuki, or Snow, whichever you prefer. You humans come up with the strangest fake names" Azrael mocked.

"Snow, I see. So my sister and Michael still haven't met…" Winter sighed.

"It seems that way. Michael is…stubborn" Zerachiel whispered.

"Perfect match for our leader. Who is your leader anyway?" 623 questioned.

"Technically we don't have a leader—" Azrael began before being silenced.

"Michael is our leader, Azrael just doesn't like to admit it" Gabriel continued.

"Well, I hope we get to meet him soon" Peach replied, smiling sweetly.

"He's the last person you'd want to meet" Azrael chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Winter asked.

"Don't pay attention to Azrael, he's just trying to start trouble. Michael is very stubborn and hard to deal with sometimes. Especially when it comes to Lucifer. Anyway, let's not talk about this right now. Uriel and the other two should be here shortly" Gabriel said, evading the topic.

Just as he spoke, the front doors opened, creaking loudly through the room. The group of six walked out to see Summer, Snow, and Uriel in the door way hauling two bigs bags. Winter and 623 ran over to their side to help them. Summer stared at the two new angels. Her eyes were searching for hers, but she could feel he was not there. Gabriel took notice and walked over to her.

"Save it. We'll talk later" she spoke, putting her hand up to him and walking off.

Gabriel sighed and looked to his brothers to an answer. Uriel put his hand on his shoulder.

"I have a message from Michael" he whispered.

Gabriel nodded. He waved his brothers over. Winter watched them curiously before seeing them disappear in a flash.

"Guess they have important business to discuss" 623 said, carrying the bag of apples.

"Seems like it…" he replied, staring off in the area where Summer left.

"Hey, you go talk to her. We'll take care of this stuff" 623 offered.

Winter nodded and ran through the doors Summer disappeared through. Snow carried the other large bag, smiling happily.

"That more apples?" 623 asked.

"No, not really. We found a garden store in the city a little away from here" Snow replied eagerly.

"Would you like some help Snow?" Peach offered.

"Yes please! Let's go to the roof now!" the black haired girl exclaimed, full of excitement. She grabbed Peach's hand and ran up the stairs with her, leaving 623 on his own. He sighed and dragged his bag of apples to a storage room with the other foods they managed to find. When he was done, retreated to his room. The silver haired boy rummaged through his bag until he found a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Making sure now one is around, he quickly walked through the front doors into the city. He made sure to walk away from anyone's sight before taking out one cigarette and lighting it. Taking a deep breathe, he inhaled the smoke and let it our shortly after.

"I haven't seen you do that in a while human" Azrael spoke up, coming out of the shadows.

623 jumped from the surprise. "I thought you were with your brothers.."

"Hmm, I was, and now I'm here. Are you sure you want to continue that nasty habit?" Azrael probed.

623 sighed and took another inhale of the cigarette, "Listen, it's not like I enjoy having these. They just happen to help."

"Help with creating the cells inside of you that are slowly killing you?" Azrael asked matter-of-factly.

623 looked up to him indifferently. "Like I said, I don't enjoy them, but they help."

"They're helping spread the cells faster, nothing more, nothing less. You do realize you need to be alive in order to fulfill your destiny?"

"I doubt I'll be dead before I have to do what I need to do. Are you just here to pester me about my addiction or are you here for an actual reason?" 623 snapped back with annoyance.

Azrael looked down at the boy, pitying him. He turned around, facing the darkness he emerged from. "You get one miracle. I'll let you think it over, but don't waste my time" he said before disappearing into the shadows. 623 watched him leave, taking another hit of the cigarette. He stared at it. Anger filled him at the sight of it. He tossed it to the side, crunching it with his shoe, and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

As he grew closer to the building, Winter ran out the doors to meet him, panting.

"Winter? Is something wrong?"

"It's Summer…I can't find her anywhere. I was hoping you'd of seen here outside or something" Winter explained.

"Nope. Guess she just wants to be alone for now. Give her that space, we'll talk to her later tonight about it."

"I know it's just…I wish I could be there for her and I wish she'd let me. I get why she'd be upset but, isolating herself like this and not talking about what's wrong is going to make it worse on her and everyone else…" Winter sighed.

623 stood there, contemplating what Winter just said. His eyes glazed and turned cold. His playful demeanor had begun to disappear on the outside. Winter looked up at him, confused.

"623, are you alright? Did something happen?"

Snapping out of his daze, he looked at Winter and smiled nervously, "Oh no, I guess I just got lost in thought. Anyway! Why don't we go help out with that garden huh? I'm sure they'll need some help up there" he deflected.

Winter stared at him a little longer, looking for any answer in him. He sighed and nodded in agreement. The two men walked alongside each other into the building in silence.

Summer watched them walk away from the top of a neighboring building. Knees pressed to her chin, she watched everything around her, unamused. Uriel stood behind her in silence, waiting to address her.

"You can stop standing behind me you know?" she called out.

Surprised, the angel walked over beside her, taking a seat. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"You're too nice…Snow is lucky to have an angel that cares" she mumbled.

Uriel stared at her with gentle eyes, smiling. "Michael cares, trust me."

"Yeah, sure he does. He cares enough to threaten me and never show up. What a guy" she replied sarcastically.

The angel stared at her, still smiling, unmoving. The girl glanced over to him with a blank face. They sat there in silence for half an hour before Summer broke it.

"You know, some people want to be left alone…" she grumbled.

Uriel nodded in response. "This is true. But you don't want to be alone, not truly."

"And how do you know that?" she snapped back.

"Because Michael is watching over you and telling me so."

Summer sat there, quiet once more. Thoughts of this angel that's supposed to care for her clouded her mind. She was angry, upset, scared, sad, and somewhat happy all at once. The emotions combined though, didn't help her in that moment.

"He's worried about you. He says you're conflicted about me talking to you."

"Maybe because it shouldn't be you talking to me…" she whispered.

Uriel looked at her sadly, knowing what she meant. He held out his hand for her. Glancing at it, she remained unmoved.

"Would you like to see the future you'll help create?" Uriel asked, still holding out his hand.

Resistant, Summer remained sitting in her spot, fighting the urge to grab his hand. In her head, she kept trying to persuade herself to just do it, to stop fighting herself on simple decisions. Her rational was losing.

Pulling his hand away, he looked off onto the rooftop where the four friends were making a garden together. He pointed at them.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but, maybe you should take a chance sometime. I'll be able to show you whenever you need me to. But, maybe you should be with people that care about you instead of alone. They're worried about you."

"I know…" she whispered.

"I have a message for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"…No."

"It's from Michael."

Her body tensed, fighting itself from moving and speaking. She sat like a statue for minutes before Uriel got up from his seat next to her. He began walking away from the girl. She struggled to continue her resistance, but failed.

"W-wait!…What…what's the message?" she asked meekly.

Turning around with a smile, he leaned down to her. "He'd like to meet with you, in your dreams. But because you guard yourself so much, he can't. He's asked me to tell you to open yourself, to be more willing and accepting. Start by letting your walls down. Be with your friends, your brother. And when you are about to sleep, be in the comfort of your room. Don't run away and guard yourself otherwise, you two will never meet."

Summer stared at him, eyes wide and glazed. He stood up and walked away from her, leaving her to be alone like she'd wanted in the beginning. Replaying the words in her head, she considered listening, but also, she considered not to. Summer looked out to the rooftop where everyone was. The angels were all there now as well, helping out and spending time with her family. She yearned for it, but her stubborn nature refused to reward her with such luxuries. The last time she allowed herself to be so careless, she lost her mother.

Still, she watched them work and play, enjoying their time in this apocalypse. She felt a smile forming and a tear racing down her cheek. _Maybe…_she thought, _Maybe I could…no…but…ugh, why am I like this…I just want my life back…I want to not worry about everyone's safety…yet…I just want to feel that happiness again…_

—

"Hey Hastings! Quit hogging the dirt!" 623 shouted at the old man.

"Ho ho, as I recall, you were hogging it just a minute ago" Hastings retorted.

"Oh yeah? You wanna fight old man? I can take you!" 623 replied with a coy smirk.

"Ha, humans sure know how to be entertaining" Azrael replied from his spot on the roof.

"We can be a handful sometimes" Winter replied chuckling.

Everyone was enjoying themselves, working and playing alike. Peach on the other hand, worked on her own plot of the garden by herself and in silence. She glanced up at 623 and Hastings throwing dirt at each other. A familiar joy and sadness filled her.

"You know, you could join them" Zerachiel spoke, walking over to her.

She shook her head, continuing her work. "I'm not like that…" she replied with a fake smile.

"You're bad at lying" he replied, leaning down to her.

She grew quiet, cradling a faint smile still as thoughts and memories of her old life filled her head.

"Remember, I've known you since you were born. I know that separate side to you. And, I know what happened."

"That's in the past…nothing can change that.."

"Are you so sure? Have you tried?"

"Of course we've tried…but nothing works…we tried convincing him, but…he only accepted a part of it…" she whispered.

"You haven't tried everything then" Zerachiel whispered back, helping her plant a small tree.

"There's nothing I can do…I'm not a doctor…I can't heal everything…" she replied, a tear rolling off her cheeks and watering the soil below her.

"But I can…and you will be able to as well" he replied smiling and brushing her tear away. She looked up at him, surprised. She remembered what Winter told both her and 623 earlier in the day about miracles.

"Zerachiel…is it true you can perform a miracle…?" she asked.

He smiled, looking her in the eyes, he nodded.

"I can bring you one miracle, anything your heart desires. Even what you once thought was impossible."

Peach stared at him incredulously. Her glance went back to 623 and Hastings. She remembered that day like it had just happened yesterday.


End file.
